As your club explores partnerships, consider getting involved in a disease prevention project that identifies ways to decrease the spread of major disease. Recent outbreaks of dengue fever, a potentially deadly yet preventable disease, have put 2.5 billion people — almost two-fifths of the world’s population — at risk of infection. The disease is spread by mosquitoes and is found largely in tropical and subtropical climates. In the past 10 years, the number of cases of dengue fever in the Western Pacific alone has more than doubled, and 500,000 people a year are hospitalized as a result of this disease. While the exact causes of the outbreaks are uncertain, the World Health Organization is urging immediate action, such as improved sanitation measures and the elimination of mosquito breeding sites, to curb the disease’s spread.
This epidemic is cause for concern as we approach the 2015 deadline for achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals. By that year, the United Nations intends to have stopped the spread of malaria and other major diseases and to have decreased their global prevalence. Some progress has been made toward this goal through education and prevention initiatives. In Vietnam, the United Nations Population Fund supports a national reproductive health and HIV-prevention curriculum for secondary school students sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Training. The United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign has distributed 2.8 million insecticide-treated bed nets in Mali, benefiting 95 percent of all the country’s children under five. Since 1997, the Revised National Tuberculosis Programme has treated more than 11 million patients in India and has saved over two million lives. However, as the recent dengue fever outbreaks show, more work is necessary to stop major diseases.
Connect with disease-prevention projects and volunteers
Rotary clubs in India, Mali, the Philippines, and Uganda are implementing projects and seeking international partners to promote disease prevention in their countries. Learn more about these projects and how you can help on ProjectLINK. Read about a Rotary Foundation Global Grant project to reduce the incidence of dengue fever in Indonesia.
Successfully completed projects related to disease prevention are also featured on ProjectLINK. These efforts may inspire clubs looking for project ideas and provide guidance on best practices. Learn more by searching for a model project on ProjectLINK. To narrow your search, include keywords such as malaria, dengue fever, and disease prevention.
If your club is seeking international volunteers for its disease prevention projects, use the Rotary Volunteers Database. Volunteers currently listed have expertise in AIDS education, disaster relief, and health education.
This epidemic is cause for concern as we approach the 2015 deadline for achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals. By that year, the United Nations intends to have stopped the spread of malaria and other major diseases and to have decreased their global prevalence. Some progress has been made toward this goal through education and prevention initiatives. In Vietnam, the United Nations Population Fund supports a national reproductive health and HIV-prevention curriculum for secondary school students sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Training. The United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign has distributed 2.8 million insecticide-treated bed nets in Mali, benefiting 95 percent of all the country’s children under five. Since 1997, the Revised National Tuberculosis Programme has treated more than 11 million patients in India and has saved over two million lives. However, as the recent dengue fever outbreaks show, more work is necessary to stop major diseases.
Connect with disease-prevention projects and volunteers
Rotary clubs in India, Mali, the Philippines, and Uganda are implementing projects and seeking international partners to promote disease prevention in their countries. Learn more about these projects and how you can help on ProjectLINK. Read about a Rotary Foundation Global Grant project to reduce the incidence of dengue fever in Indonesia.
Successfully completed projects related to disease prevention are also featured on ProjectLINK. These efforts may inspire clubs looking for project ideas and provide guidance on best practices. Learn more by searching for a model project on ProjectLINK. To narrow your search, include keywords such as malaria, dengue fever, and disease prevention.
If your club is seeking international volunteers for its disease prevention projects, use the Rotary Volunteers Database. Volunteers currently listed have expertise in AIDS education, disaster relief, and health education.
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