Mosquito Net Gifted by Gospel for Asia Saves Mother from Deadly Encounter

December 17, 2021 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, to assist the poor and deprived worldwide – Discussing Karinya and her family, the devastation brought about by illness, loss and poverty, and the GFA World gift distribution of a mosquito net that brought relief and hope.

Discussing Karinya and her family, the loss and poverty, and the GFA World gift distribution of a mosquito net that brought relief and hope. — A thin net like this one was the only barrier between Karinya and her son and a deadly snake.

When their eldest son, Slavomir, was diagnosed with epilepsy, life changed drastically for Karinya and Dalibor. The parents devoted their time and finances to keeping their son alive. However, after years of battling the illness—and a period of peace from seizures—epilepsy eventually claimed Slavomir’s life.

Karinya and Dalibor were devastated. The grief was all-consuming, and the various medical bills they had accumulated only added to their anxiety and left them financially devastated.

A New Challenge

During Slavomir’s illness, Karinya and her family had met Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor Bedrich, who spent many hours praying and fasting for Slavomir’s healing. He rejoiced with the family when healing came; he welcomed Karinya to the local fellowship of believers; and he mourned Slavomir’s passing after the young man experienced three years of healing. Pastor Bedrich had watched the family’s resources dwindle as they did everything they could to nurse their son back to health.

Now, 14 years after Slavomir’s death, the compassionate pastor prayed for the family as they continued to face another challenge: poverty. With their financial resources drained, the family of six could not afford even a single mosquito net, a basic necessity to protect themselves from the region’s pests and the illnesses and diseases mosquitos carry.

Pastor Bedrich prayed fervently for a solution for the family’s need. The answer came in the form of an idea. He decided to organize a mosquito net distribution for their village.

Through the distribution, 630 people, including Karinya and her family, received the gift of a mosquito net. Though it seemed such a simple gift, it provided great relief from the annoyance of the buzzing creatures and peace of mind with the layer of protection from the disease-carrying insects.

Saved by a Thin Net

For Karinya’s family, the gift came at the perfect time. The very next night, Karinya and her son slept under the net’s covering. Around 11 p.m., Karinya woke to use the bathroom. Before she got out of bed, however, she spotted a large snake lying next to her bed. Amazingly, nothing lay between Karinya and a deadly snake bite except the thin mosquito net.

Alarmed, she quickly alerted her husband, hoping the mosquito net continued to deter the snake’s attack until Dalibor could remove the threatening reptile. The entire family soon awoke in a rush of activity. Karinya and her son waited with bated breath as the rest of the family killed the looming snake.

“If I had not received this mosquito net, me and my son would have lost our lives last night,” Karinya stated.

Though their challenges have been many, Karinya is grateful for the assistance of the church in helping provide for her family’s needs. She is especially grateful for the blessing of the thin netting that helped save her and her son’s lives.

Read how the gift of a bicycle opened the door for Pastor Lanzo to befriend a man who lived six miles away.

*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are Gospel for Asia World stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Reports & Updates, Mosquito Net Saves Mother from Deadly Encounter

Learn more about how generosity can change lives. Through GFA World (Gospel for Asia) and its Christmas Gift Catalog, gifts like pigs, bicycles and sewing machines break the cycle of poverty and show Christ’s love to impoverished families in Asia. One gift can have a far-reaching impact, touching families and rippling out to transform entire communities.

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Gospel for Asia’s Gift of Mosquito Net Provides Family Avenue of Hope

July 9, 2021 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, whose heart to love and help the poor has inspired numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to serve the deprived and downcast worldwide – Discussing Seafra, the sickness and suffering brought by poverty and mosquito borne sickness, and the mosquito net gift distributions through GFA World church that brought blessing in the midst of tragedy.

Discussing suffering brought by poverty and mosquito borne sickness, & the mosquito net gift distributions through GFA World church that brought hope — Gift distributions for mosquito nets, like the one pictured and the one Seafra attended, are organized to bless and uplift families at risk from malaria and other vector-borne diseases.

The mosquitoes that buzzed outdoors brought no comfort to Seafra’s family. For the 50-year-old father of four who farmed for a living, he knew that he had two options: He could use what little earnings he made to feed his family, or he could risk temporary starvation to purchase a mosquito net they desperately needed. If he didn’t purchase a net, sickness would continue to ravage his family. The weights on the scale of importance never seemed to balance.

The Burden of Disease

Seafra and many other of his fellow villagers faced the same problem: mosquitoes. The tiny insects carried numerous harmful, and sometimes fatal, diseases. Malaria, and tyhpoid took turns infecting the villagers. The WHO estimates that 409,000 people worldwide died from malaria in 2019, with more than 229 million cases across the globe.^[1]

Seafra and his family members had already fallen ill to many of the mosquito-borne maladies. And if one or more of his family were to become infected again, he knew their funds would not be enough to pay for the subsequent medical bills.

But then Seafra and his family were invited to a local church led by Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor Kedrik. At the church, the family received insecticide-treated nets to ward off mosquitoes. These special nets have proven to be one of the most effective ways to prevent transmission of malaria over the past 20 years.^[2] Together with other prevention programs, these nets have prevented an estimated 7.6 million malaria deaths.^[3]

After receiving the net, the family confided in Pastor Kedrik the struggles they faced. While the nets would provide ample protection against further disease transmission, the trauma of past illnesses caught from mosquitoes still lingered. Pastor Kedrik continued to visit the family once a month, praying for them and encouraging them.

GFA Pastor Brings Gift of a Mosquito Net Amidst Tragedy

Four years later, the threat of becoming ill from a vector-borne disease had vanished. Seafra and his family spent their nights in peace under the mosquito net’s protection. But then a crippling medical crisis struck the family when Seafra began experiencing severe knee pain. Unable to properly tend to his farm, Seafra was taken to various doctors, and the family performed various traditional rituals.

After exhausting nearly every avenue and selling most of their farm to pay for them, Seafra’s family asked Pastor Kedrik to pray for Seafra’s healing. They knew Pastor Kedrik cared for them; he had shown it through the surprise gift of a mosquito net and through his friendship throughout the years.

Then, after a period of continuous prayer, the pain in Seafra’s knees vanished. He could walk properly again; he could provide for his family again. So touched by his healing, Seafra and his entire family began attending Pastor Kedrik’s church, desiring to continue experiencing the tangible love of God.

^[1] “World Malaria Report 2020: 20 Years of Global Progress and Challenges.” Geneva: World health Organization. 2020. 3 March 2021. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/malaria/world-malaria-reports/9789240015791-eng.pdf?sfvrsn=d7a8ec53_3&download=true

^[2] “Core vector control methods.” World Health Organization. 19 January 2020. https://www.who.int/malaria/areas/vector_control/core_methods/en/

^[3] “World Malaria Report 2020: 20 Years of Global Progress and Challenges.” Geneva: World health Organization. 2020. 3 March 2021. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/malaria/world-malaria-reports/9789240015791-eng.pdf?sfvrsn=d7a8ec53_3&download=true

See how you can help GFA workers continue to protect at-risk families from disease and simultaneously show God’s love through mosquito nets.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Reports & Updates, Gift of Mosquito Net Provides Family Avenue of Hope

Learn more how to save families from the sickening agony or death from malaria through the gift of Mosquito Nets that offer protection from the sting of an infected mosquito and help to give their owner a restful nights sleep.

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

A Family’s Mustard Seed of Faith for a Mosquito Net

June 7, 2021 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, whose heart to love and help the poor has inspired numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to serve the deprived and downcast worldwide – Discussing the family of Sesen and Hachirou, their struggle with poverty, and their dire need for a mosquito net met by GFA World Gift Distribution.

Discussing the family of Sesen and Hachirou, their struggle with poverty, and their dire need for a mosquito net met by GFA World Gift Distribution. — Mosquito nets like this one are essential items for families in South Asia. Such a net wasthe answer to Sesen and her family’s prayers.

Sesen lived with her husband, Hachirou, and their three children in a small village. To survive, the family relied on the meager income generated from Hachirou’s job as a plumber and Sesen’s job as a maid, but many of their needs were unmet—like the dire need for a mosquito net to protect themselves from the mosquitoes that swarmed their area.

A Family’s Fighting Faith

The family’s difficult financial situation was hard on them all, but they knew the Lord would provide for their needs. After coming to know Jesus a few years earlier, they had grown in their faith by attending Gospel for Asia (GFA) prayer meetings and church services. Though they faced many challenges and struggled to support themselves, they clung to a mustard seed of hope and kept the faith, always believing God to provide for all of their needs—including their need for a mosquito net.

The Need for a Net, the Grace in a Gift

The family’s small brick house was a single room in which all five of them slept, cooked meals and ate. The cramped quarters were hot and uncomfortable. They tried sleeping on the porch, but the swarms of mosquitoes resulted in restless nights and rampant illness.

With each member of the family getting sick one after another, they were desperate and needed help soon.

One February, in the midst of continued struggle and suffering, the family’s prayers were answered. Pastor Vaclav’s church organized a gift distribution for the local community, in which more than 30 families were given mosquito nets, including Sesen’s. The family was overjoyed!

Sesen brought two nets home and started using them immediately, enabling her and her family to sleep through the night and stay free of illness. Through this act of kindness and the grace of God, Sesen and her family were strengthened in their faith. They witnessed firsthand what a mustard seed of faith—even faith for a mosquito net—can do.

You can provide a family, like Sesen’s, with a long-desired mosquito net that will ease their suffering.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Reports & Updates, A Family’s Mustard Seed of Faith for a Mosquito Net

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Gospel for Asia-supplied Mosquito Net Helps Free Man from Addiction

August 11, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Baharupa, his alcohol addiction, the struggle with poverty in providing for his family, the sicknesses they are exposed to, and the Gospel for Asia supplied mosquito net used as an instrument of God’s love.

What began as a small indulgence slowly enveloped Baharupa’s life. The 55-year-old farmer and father of three felt pressured to drink the alcohol given to him at the many village-wide celebrations. But again and again, he ended up drunk. Even with his acquired addiction, Baharupa made sure to take care of his wife and sons, but there were some things he couldn’t provide them with.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Discussing Baharupa, his alcohol addiction, the poverty, the sicknesses , & the Gospel for Asia supplied mosquito net used to show God's love — Baharupa attended a distribution event for mosquito nets like this one, where he experienced the love of God firsthand.

A Village’s Struggle

In Baharupa’s village, Gospel for Asia pastor Satyam oversees a congregation of 72 believers. The pastor and believers had been seeking ways to bless their community. They saw the poverty that clung to Baharupa and many of their fellow villagers despite countless hours of hard work and labor. The believers also saw how vulnerable villagers were to diseases because they possessed no way to protect themselves. And they wanted to help.

God’s Love Exemplified

Of the many burdens weighing on impoverished families in Asia, health concerns rank high on the list. Our initiatives include health awareness programs that help individuals learn how to shield themselves against sicknesses. Gospel for Asia missionaries also distribute practical gifts, such as mosquito nets, to help people put what they learn at awareness programs into practice.

Mosquito nets provide ample protection against the disease-carrying pest—a boon for poor, rural villages like Baharupa’s. Pastor Satyam organized a gift distribution event to give out 4,000 mosquito nets.

As Baharupa sat with the other recipients, the farmer could not comprehend why Pastor Satyam and the believers had put together a gift distribution event. But when his name was called and a mosquito net was placed in his hands, Baharupa began to understand. This was love and compassion at work.

“Who can give us mosquito nets without money?” Baharupa wondered. “This shows [the believers’] love towards us. I have never seen such kind of love among our society people.”

Intrigued, Baharupa attended worship service the next Sunday, and he started coming every week. Pastor Satyam counseled the farmer, sharing more of God’s vast love and forgiveness. Baharupa realized he didn’t need the bottle; he now possessed something infinitely greater: the eternal love of God.

Baharupa and his entire family began to walk with Jesus. They became members of the congregation, rejoicing in the newfound love of Christ and in Baharupa’s freedom from addiction.

Read how another family was blessed thanks to a Gospel for Asia-supplied mosquito net.

One simple way to fight mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, is to consider giving a needy family a simple Mosquito Net. Most households need several nets to protect everyone in the family. Help save them from sickening agony or death from malaria.

*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are Gospel for Asia stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Report, Mosquito Net Helps Free Man from Addiction

Learn more about the GFA national workers who carry a burning desire for people to know the love of God. Through their prayers, dedication and sacrificial love, thousands of men and women have found new life in Christ.

Learn more about how generosity can change lives. Through Gospel for Asia (GFA World and it’s affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) and its Christmas Gift Catalog, gifts like pigs, bicycles and sewing machines break the cycle of poverty and show Christ’s love to impoverished families in Asia. One gift can have a far-reaching impact, touching families and rippling out to transform entire communities.

Learn more by reading these Special Reports from Gospel for Asia:

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

The Miracle of the Mosquito Nets

August 21, 2018 By GFA Staff Writer

The Miracle of the Mosquito Nets - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — During the Christmas gift distribution program of the Gospel for Asia-supported church she attended, Hansini received a sewing machine. She began sewing and selling mosquito nets. That’s when the miracles began to happen in her family. (In 2017, GFA distributed more than 300,000 mosquito nets to people in Asia at risk of getting bit by malaria infected mosquitos).

Gospel for Asia (GFA World), Wills Point, Texas – How one Asian daughter used mosquito nets to elevate her family out of poverty and show them the love of God in the process.

We should never underestimate what God can do with something we can hold in our hands. God can use anything to accomplish His purposes, and He uses ordinary people and ordinary things to bring honor and glory to Himself.

Remember the story of Moses in Exodus and how God used a simple stick to reveal His power? Moses had only a walking stick in his hand, but when he dropped it to the ground, as the Lord told him, it turned into a snake. When he picked it up again, it became a walking stick. Later, when Moses raised that walking stick above the Red Sea, the Lord parted the waters and the people were able to walk across on dry land (see Exodus chapters 4 and 14).

Hansini, a 17-year-old girl living in Asia, may not be as famous as Moses, but the Lord has used her in a mighty way to minister His love, grace and forgiveness—available in Jesus Christ—to the people around her in ways that neither she nor anyone else ever expected.

Hansini lives in a remote village where many of the people were so poor they struggled to survive each day.

When Hansini embraced new life in Christ, she not only brought shame on herself but also upon her parents, whom the villagers blamed for allowing her to “run so free that you cannot even make them obey you.”

Though her parents tried many times to convince Hansini to forsake Jesus and return to the old ways of her people, she remained committed and faithful. Eventually, the combination of his frustration and the continual abuse heaped upon him by his former friends got the best of her father. When he could take it no longer, he took his own frustrations on her by beating her brutally. Still, she would not deny her Savior.

Another three years passed. Her family had begun to believe that she would never forsake this Jesus. They were right. She never did.

However, the Lord used believers from halfway around the world to change the lives of her family and many of the villagers forever. During a Christmas gift distribution program by Gospel for Asia, Hansini received a sewing machine. Hansini began sewing and selling mosquito nets. That’s when the miracles began to happen.

Being able to sew and sell mosquito nets—a precious commodity in a country plagued with vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever—created a significant revenue generator for her. However, she did not use her income for personal gain. She used it to pay her family’s debts.

She explained that “Jesus Christ is the giver of all good gifts. It is because of the love and grace of Christ that our family is able to overcome all our financial struggles.”

It was difficult to deny Hansini’s decision to embrace Christ. It was difficult to deny that the sewing machine was a gift from God. It was equally difficult to deny the love of Christ extended through their own daughter, whom they had scorned and abused. Observing the love of Jesus extended through her to them, Hansini’s parents decided to embrace Jesus as well.

The miracle of the mosquito nets did not stop there. Villagers took note of how Hansini had suffered ridicule and rejection for years. Yet, she continued to demonstrate her selfless love to lift her family out of abject poverty by making and selling, of all things, mosquito nets.

They began to see that Jesus had worked miraculously through one faithful young lady. They began to see the beauty and grace that comes only through a relationship with Him. They were witnessing the love of Jesus at work in and through one person making mosquito nets.

The villagers are no longer hostile. Some are even coming to church with Hansini, where they are learning about the amazing love of Jesus.

In the several years that have gone by, Hansini has accepted the invitation of her villagers to teach their daughters how to sew. She teaches sewing classes to young girls six days a week. She also uses those classes to teach her students about the love of Jesus.

Moses is a biblical “giant of faith.” But that’s not because he was mighty and powerful. It’s because he committed to following the Lord regardless of what others thought.

Sometimes we can think that we can never be a Moses. Perhaps in those times, we might consider being a Hansini—a faithful follower with a mosquito net in her hand.

What do you have in your hand that God can use?

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To donate distribute mosquito nets today, go here.

To read more on malaria prevention, go here, or visit these patheos posts:

How Malaria Spreads and Kills and How to Help | Effective Means to Preventing Malaria | Motherhood & Mosquito Nets

Sources:

Gospel for Asia, Girl Brings Scandal to a Village
Money Control, Nadda writes to Kejriwal on actions needed to check spread of dengue, malaria
UCA News, Church helps victims as floods batter India
India TV, 54 malaria, 33 dengue cases reported in Delhi this season

Image Source:

Gospel for Asia

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Mosquito Nets Are an Effective Means to Preventing Malaria in Asia Says Gospel for Asia

May 3, 2018 By GFA Staff Writer

Wills Point, Texas – GFA (Gospel for Asia)

For many around the world, malaria is a feared disease. According to a special report released by Gospel for Asia, there are 91 countries where malaria is a viable threat because of transmission. Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are the countries most at risk because of high prevalence.

Thankfully, there are a few ways to prevent malaria. One of them is simply using mosquito nets, which Gospel for Asia-supported workers give out regularly. In 2016, around 600,000 mosquito nets were distributed to those in need. 600,000! Now that’s a lot of netting.

GFA also helps support medical camps, where doctors urge families to remove all stagnant water from their homes, because that can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

I’d like to share with you a story about a woman in Asia who lived in one such place where mosquitoes loved to congregate.

Lavenia’s family needed some way to keep the mosquitoes at bay, especially because the stagnant water near her communal hut provided a prime breeding ground for insects. But being a widow who lived in poverty and had two small children to look after, she couldn’t afford any nets to keep her or her little ones safe from mosquito bites.

Unlike many widows in Asia, she was not abandoned by her family and was able to find a job catching fish.

When Gospel for Asia-supported worker Akshay saw Lavenia’s living condition (pictured), he was heartbroken and prayed for an opportunity to help this family in great need.

GFA-supported pastor Akshay walked by Lavenia’s hut every day. He watched Lavenia’s children playing in ragged clothes by the roadside, and his heart broke over their squalid living conditions. As he passed by, he often prayed in his heart that the Lord would provide a chance for him to show the love of Christ to this desperate family. Then the Lord opened up an opportunity for him to minister to Lavenia and show her how much God loved her.

Pastor Akshay came to know how difficult it was for them to sleep at night because of the annoying mosquitoes. Soon Pastor Akshay arranged a mosquito net distribution at his church. As Pastor Akshay handed Lavenia and her family mosquito nets of their own, they were deeply touched. It meant they could rest well and be stronger for work each day. It spared them from disease and potential medical costs and gave them a sense of dignity.

Lavenia with her family and the pastor in front of her home.

We at Gospel for Asia are so thankful Lavenia—and hundreds of thousands of other people—could receive this critical gift for her family’s wellbeing. Now, malaria is one disease she no longer has to fear.

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For more details on Fighting Malaria – a Chilling Disease, visit this Special Report.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

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Motherhood, Mosquito Nets and Why We Keep Doing Good

April 26, 2018 By GFA Staff Writer

Gospel for Asia (GFA) News, Wills Point, Texas

It’s ironic that as someone who likes to cook and loves to eat, I really dislike making dinner. As a mom with four kids, it’s not exactly a chore I can skip when I’m not “feeling it.” They need food. And I care that they eat healthy food. So, I make dinner. Every night.

It’s a small thing, but I have learned perseverance in the small things of motherhood. I have learned to keep doing the necessary tasks, day in and day out, regardless of my level of sleep deprivation, irrelevant of my emotional state, often in opposition to my current degree of motivation.

The words of Paul often run through my head, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

Getting tired of the things we were once passionate about is a common human experience. We have all gone through it. But sometimes it has a greater impact than we realize. World Malaria Day, observed on April 25, was inaugurated in 2008. According to a special report released by Gospel for Asia called “Fighting Malaria, a Chilling Disease,” there was a vast global response to eradicate malaria from the world scene. Government organizations, NGOs and individuals banded together in commitment to the prevention, education and treatment of malaria, which affected an estimated 247 million people in 2008.

A community receives mosquito nets - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — A community receives much-needed mosquito nets at a Gospel for Asia-supported distribution. You can help by giving funds to provide mosquito nets to those who need them in Asia.

This awesome commitment on the part of so many had a dramatic effect. Between 2010 and 2015, new malaria cases fell by 21 percent around the world.

But in 2016, the numbers rose, dramatically. There were 216 million cases reported globally—an increase of 5 million over the previous year. Something has gone wrong. The cases of malaria are increasing.

In an effort to combat malaria in the tropical and subtropical densely populated areas of South Asia, where malaria is most apt to be a threat, Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries have given out more than 1 million mosquito nets in the past two years.

These lifesaving mosquito nets bring hope and peace to families living in constant fear as malaria-carrying mosquitos plague their daily life. For Jitan and Shara, malaria posed an immediate risk to their entire family. Three of their four-person family contracted the disease. Each one received treatment and recovered, but there was the constant threat of exposure in the hot climate and stagnant ponds they lived by. A Gospel for Asia-supported pastor in their village saw the struggle of this family and knew the whole community was at risk. He organized a mosquito net distribution and blessed 150 families with the lifesaving material.

Jitan was amazed. “Christians not only pray for people,” he said, “but they also fulfill the basic needs of people.” A new respect and appreciation arose in his heart for the local congregation.

Shara, her husband Jitan and their daughter were all infected with malaria. - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Shara, her husband Jitan and their daughter were all infected with malaria. After experiencing healing, they lived in dread of contracting the disease again, until they received a mosquito net from a local GFA-supported pastor.

K.P. Yohannan, founder and director of GFA reminds us, “Christ calls upon us to care for the poor, which is why we are there to offer tools like mosquito nets, which can literally make the difference between life and death.”

Let’s not become weary in doing good, even when we’re no longer “feeling it.” Let’s trust the Lord to bring fruit from our efforts, even when it’s slow going or seems long in coming. Let’s look into eternity and see, with eyes of faith, the thousands of people present because of the small acts of service rendered to them here on earth. Let’s not be dazzled by the new thing in front of our eyes and forget the constant needs we are already aware of, like the malaria epidemic and the easy prevention of a mosquito net.

Gospel for Asia is committed to persevering among the poor. We are committed to big and small acts of service, day in and day out, in the lives of those suffering around us. Just as Jesus continually touched the sick and ministered to the poor, we are committed to walking in His footsteps and bringing relief and health where we can.

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Gospel for Asia: Mosquito-Driven Scourge Touches Even Developed Nations: Malaria Alone Claims 400,000 Lives Per Year | Part 2

January 30, 2023 By GFA Staff Writer

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WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to assist the poor and deprived worldwide, issued a Special Report on how the alarming increase of mosquito-blamed cases in U.S. may awaken Westerners to the deadly scourge of malaria that still claims thousands of lives worldwide.

GFA Special Report on Malaria: Mosquito driven scourge in increasing rates, blamed cases in U.S. in 2019 may awaken Westerners to the deadly malaria. — A study of Africa released in the spring of 2019 found that the single-most important factor to a 15-year decline in malaria fatalities was increased distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets. (Photo by Nothing But Nets)

Rising to the Challenge

Doctors developing vaccine for malaria. — Drs. Nana Minkah (back) and Deba Goswami work with Kappe Lab colleagues to develop a vaccine for malaria. (Photo by Seattle Children’s Hospital)

One of the ironies in the fight against malaria is that past victims are combating it, including people like Dr. Nana Minkah, a scientist at the Kappa Lab at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Growing up in the sub-Saharan nation of Ghana, he contracted the disease multiple times. Among his memories are bouts when he spent more than a week in bed with pain and chills so bad he visibly shivered.

In 2015, after earning a Ph.D. in molecular genetics and biology, Dr. Minkah joined the Kappa Lab. Even though he didn’t have experience in parasitology, he wanted to work on malaria, especially since it still plagues his homeland.

One of the ways the lab hopes to pioneer new methods of preventing malaria is with genetically engineered vaccines. In March of 2019, it successfully completed a vaccine with a first-generation strain of the most lethal parasite. Such vaccines rely on a basic principle: to give the immune system an advantage over a pathogen by teaching it to recognize the invader before the infection occurs.

“I wanted to do work that has clinical implications with the potential to save the lives of people who look like me,” Dr. Minkah said. “What we are trying to do is a tall order. We are trying to develop a product that will create unnatural immunity.”^[1]

Despite such inspiring stories, challenges still exist. For example, while malaria was eliminated in the U.S. in 1951, the country still has Anopheles mosquitoes that can bite an infected person and transmit to others.

Health workers take a blood sample from an infant to test for malaria at a clinic along the border between Thailand and Myanmar. (Photo by Ben De La Cruz / NPR)

During last summer’s EEE outbreak, health officials in five southwest Michigan counties warned of a “critical risk” of the virus in 35 communities, with another 40 at high risk. Dr. Brian Chow, a doctor of infectious diseases at Tufts Medical Center, said 2019 seemed to be much more severe than in years past. “It is a concern,” Chow said.^[2]

Such situations point to the vigilance needed for the fight. A 2019 article in the Scientific American pointed out how, over time, drug treatment of the disease lose their effectiveness as parasites grow resistant to it. For example, in the 1990s, chloroquine was of first-line importance in Africa. By the early 2000s, that drug was replaced by sulfadoxine/primethamine and later ACTs (for Artemisinin Combination Therapy). Each time, resistance developed.

“While mutation in this gene has occurred in Southeast Asia and is spreading around the region, there are fears it will spread to Africa, like it did for the drugs before it,” wrote Ify Aniebo, a research scientist and fellow at Harvard’s school of public health. “The more drugs we use to treat malaria parasites, the more resistant they become due to selective pressure.”^[3]

It is widely accepted that next-generation antimalarial drugs must target the parasite at multiple stages to both cure the disease in an infected individual and prevent its spread to others.

Ironically, even as parasites adapt to resist technology, one of the most effective methods to combat malaria is rather old-fashioned: mosquito nets. A study of Africa released in the spring of 2019 found that the single-most important factor to a 15-year decline in malaria fatalities—from 840,000 deaths in 2000 to 440,000 in 2015—was increased distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets. The authors of the study estimate they were responsible for averting 451 million cases during that 15-year period.^[4]

Surrounding World Malaria Day 2020, WHO joins the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, the AUC and other organizations in promoting “Zero malaria starts with me” a grassroots campaign that aims to keep malaria high on the political agenda, mobilize additional resources, and empower communities to take ownership of malaria prevention and care. (Photo by World Health Organization, World Malaria Day 2020)

Joining the Fight

This study highlights the importance of one group’s primary methods of fighting the disease in South Asia: distributing mosquito nets free of charge to vulnerable families. Workers supported by Gospel for Asia (GFA) distributed 360,000 nets in 2018.

Children sitting on a bed with Mosquito Net covering. — Through the gift of a simple net given by Gospel for Asia (GFA), these children are protected from the mosquitos that transmit malaria that causes death in over 400,000 victims per year.

“As Gospel for Asia (GFA) combats these mosquitoes and the deadly disease they carry, we’re seeking to minimize the risk of children being infected,” founder K.P. Yohannan says in a 2019 press release for World Malaria Day. “It’s part of our commitment to the remote communities and one way to express God’s love for them. Many villagers in remote areas can’t afford to buy mosquito nets or preventive medications. This is why our efforts are so critical.”

Distribution of nets is only one aspect of multi-faceted efforts by Gospel for Asia (GFA) in these areas. The ministry also supports workers who hold free health seminars, distribute vitamins and educate villagers about hygienic routines to reduce the potential for disease and infection.

Such efforts create heart-rending anecdotes, like that of Pastor Ronsher, who serves in an area with high transmission rates. There, impoverished farmers and daily wage laborers struggle to secure proper medical care and hygiene; among their numbers is a couple named Bahman and Salli, whose daughter had been paralyzed for three years. After Pastor Ronsher gave them a net, he visited them for several weeks to teach them how to use it and offer encouragement.

Ironically, even as parasites adapt to resist technology, one of the most effective methods to combat malaria is rather old-fashioned: mosquito nets.

“You helped us by providing a piece of mosquito net in our lives, though you never knew us before,” Bahman said. “Many knew about our problems, but except [for] you, none of them showed their kindness toward us. We are touched with your love.”

Such love may be needed for those living in the U.S. as well. In addition to the increased rate of Eastern Equine Encephalitis cases last year, one malaria researcher at the University of Maryland’s medical school recently warned of limited access to an intravenously-administered drug. The IV treatments are needed for the more serious cases of mosquito-linked diseases in America.

A mother watching her children sleep inside a mosquito net covered bed. — One simple way to make a personal impact on mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, is to consider giving an at-risk family a simple mosquito net to provide them with safety from insects during the day and at night. (Photo by Nothing but Nets)

“Severe malaria is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment with IV medication to reduce the risk of death,” says Dr. Mark Travassos, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist who cited a 2015 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report showing 1,500 malaria cases in the U.S., of which 259 needed IV treatment.^[5]

Dr. Travassos says while oral treatments for malaria are available, in the U.S. these are often not effective in more serious cases: “Severe malaria patients can have brain involvement or repeated vomiting and may not tolerate oral medication, placing them at high risk for complications.”

As his University of Maryland associate, Professor Kathleen Neuzil, puts it, “Malaria is a leading killer worldwide, impacting millions of people each year. While we continue to work on developing vaccines and other treatments, it is critical that patients everywhere have access to the regimens needed to combat this disease.”

That means patients in places as poor as South Asia and as affluent as the U.S.

What can we do about mosquito-driven scourges?

One simple way to fight mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, is to consider giving a needy family a simple Mosquito Net. For only $10, Gospel for Asia’s field partners can distribute one of these effective nets to an at-risk family in Asia and provide them with safety from insects during the day and at night.

Read the rest of Gospel for Asia’s Special Report on Mosquito-Driven Scourge Touches Even Developed Nations: Malaria Alone Claims 400,000 Lives Per Year — Part 1

This Special Report originally appeared on gfa.org.

Read another Special Report from Gospel for Asia on Fighting Malaria – A Chilling Disease: Mosquito Netting and Malaria Prevention Combat a Parasitic Genius.

Learn more by reading this special report from Gospel for Asia: It Takes Only One Mosquito – to lead to remarkable truths about faith-based organizations and world health.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Notable news about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Gospel for Asia: Mosquito-Driven Scourge Touches Even Developed Nations: Malaria Alone Claims 400,000 Lives Per Year | Part 1

January 26, 2023 By GFA Staff Writer

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WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to assist the poor and deprived worldwide, issued a Special Report on how the alarming increase of mosquito-blamed cases in U.S. may awaken Westerners to the “deadly scourge” of malaria that still claims thousands of lives worldwide.

Because the deaths came in ones and twos, the mid-summer and early fall 2019 headlines were more local than national in scope. They told of a 70-year-old man in Massachusetts—one of 10 people infected in the state—dying from Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE)s, a virus transmitted through a mosquito bite; two deaths in Connecticut, where officials identified EEE-carrying mosquitoes in a dozen municipalities; and a 68-year-old man in Ohio who died from mosquito-linked West Nile virus.

Malaria test kits. — It is critical that patients everywhere have access to the regimens needed to combat this “deadly scourge.” (Photo by Nothing but Nets)

Before the year ended, more than a dozen fatalities had been recorded. As of mid-November, the Centers for Disease Control reported three dozen cases of EEE in 2019, the highest in 60 years.^[1] The annual average for the previous decade: just seven.

Granted, a relative handful of tragic fatalities from EEE doesn’t compare to thousands of deaths attributed each year to malaria, which still vexes health officials centuries after its discovery. Still, this five-fold increase in EEE cases may have helped sensitize Americans to the scourge of mosquito-borne health dangers. Such an awakening was especially timely with the observance of World Malaria Day on April 25, which draws attention to the 400,000 lives per year lost to this deadly disease.

In fact, while the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide (on the date this report was first published) currently stands at 2.5 million and rising, each year there are more than 200 million reported cases of malaria, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

A previous special report on this topic, entitled “Fighting Malaria – A Chilling Disease,” details how mosquito netting and malaria prevention are being used to combat this parasitic genius. This update unfolds the ongoing efforts of the global community to combat mosquito-borne scourges, including malaria, even among developing nations.

Despite advances in recent years, malaria remains a leading cause of death globally.

The latest World Malaria Report, released December 2019 by the World Health Organization (WHO), said 405,000 people died from the disease in 2018.

While that is less than the 435,000 fatalities recorded the previous year, the number of cases rose from 220 million to 228 million, a 3.6 percent increase (since 2016, cases are up 5.6 percent). A staggering 93 percent occurred in the African region in 2018, followed by Southeast Asia (3.4 percent) and the eastern Mediterranean (2.1 percent).

There was a mixture of good and bad news in the report.

Globally, malaria’s incident rate declined from 2010 to 2018. Formerly at 71 cases per thousand in population, the rate slowed to 57 in 2014. Yet it remained at similar levels the next four years. The reductions were most encouraging in Southeast Asia, where 17 cases per thousand in 2010 declined to five cases in 2018, a 70 percent decrease. Also on the positive side, the WHO said more countries moved toward zero indigenous cases, with 49 countries reporting less than 10,000 in 2018.

However, between 2015 and 2018, only 31 countries where malaria is still endemic were on track to reduce this rate by 40 percent or more by this year.^[2] Without major changes, the WHO’s long-term global strategy for 2015−30 may not reach milestones for morbidity in 2025 and 2030.

Despite advances in recent years, malaria remains a leading cause of death globally.

The latest World Malaria Report, released last December by the World Health Organization (WHO), said 405,000 people died from the disease in 2018.

There was a mixture of good and bad news in the report.

Advancements in the Fight

Thanks to a consortium of governments, foundations and non-governmental organizations, there have been advancements in treatment. In 2015 the WHO announced the global incidence of malaria had finally slowed: Between 2000 and 2015, mortality rates in Africa fell by 66 percent overall and 71 percent among children under 5, the most vulnerable victims.^[3]

“The last decade has seen a significant transition in the ways that countries are responding to malaria,” Dr. David Reddy, CEO of the partnership, Medicines for Malaria Venture, said in a 2015 interview. “Significant new international resources (including Global Fund and President’s Malaria Initiative) have been better mobilized in the last 10–15 years to support programmatic strengthening and introduce greatly improved tools to prevent and treat malaria.”^[4]

In his foreword to the WHO’s 2019 report, Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus noted that at least 10 countries are on track to reach the 2020 elimination milestone set in its long-term global strategy. In 2015, he said all those countries were malaria endemic, but now have either achieved zero indigenous cases or are nearing that goal.

Community health worker, tests a child for malaria — In 2018, 259 million Rapid Diagnostic Tests for malaria were distributed by National Malaria Programs across the globe. Here Souleman Balde, a 32 year-old-community health worker, tests a child for malaria in a village in the Bafata region of eastern #GuineaBissau. (Photo by @UNDP Guinea Bissau / Gwenn Dubourthoumieu)

More resources are appearing too. Just before the release of the WHO report, the board of the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved increased funding for investments over a three-year period (starting in 2020) to fight these epidemics. The investments total more than $12.9 billion U.S. as of March 2020.

Medical advances are occurring as well. In September of 2019, a paper in Science Translation Medicine described how redesigning molecules first designed to treat a skin disease (psoriasis) could lead to an effective new drug. An international team of researchers described modifying a class of molecules called pantothenamides to increase their stability in humans. In brief, the new compounds stop the malaria parasite from replicating in infected people and are effective against parasites resistant to current drugs.^[5]

One of the paper’s authors, Penn State University professor Manuel Llinás, said while pantothenamides are potent against parasites, they become unstable within biological fluids because an enzyme clips them apart before they can act. Changing a chemical bond prevents this from happening.

Significant new international resources … in the last 10–15 years … introduce greatly improved tools to prevent and treat malaria

“By also preventing the transmission of malaria parasites from infected people into mosquitoes, these pantothenamides can reduce the chances that mosquitoes will be infectious to others,” Llinás said. “It is currently widely accepted that next-generation antimalarial drugs must target the parasite at multiple stages to both cure the disease in an infected individual and prevent its spread to others.”

This news came on the heels of a story by Joshua Carroll in The Guardian newspaper about Myanmar becoming an example in the fight against malaria. It chronicled how thousands of volunteers received training and supplies from donors after political reforms opened the door for a flood of aid.

These efforts helped save thousands of lives and turned Myanmar into a leader in the battle to eliminate the disease. Nationwide in 2010 nearly 4,000 people died from malaria, but in 2017 that number dropped to 200.

“Dr. Patricia Graves, a leading specialist on the transmission and control of malaria, is confident Myanmar is on track to be malaria-free by 2030,” Carroll wrote. “The country’s success with village-based health workers ‘is a huge thing that other countries can learn from,’ she says.”^[6]

What can we do about mosquito-driven scourges?

Read the rest of Gospel for Asia’s Special Report on Mosquito-Driven Scourge Touches Even Developed Nations: Malaria Alone Claims 400,000 Lives Per Year — Part 2

This Special Report originally appeared on gfa.org.

Read another Special Report from Gospel for Asia (GFA) on Fighting Malaria – A Chilling Disease: Mosquito Netting and Malaria Prevention Combat a Parasitic Genius.

Learn more by reading this special report from Gospel for Asia: It Takes Only One Mosquito – to lead to remarkable truths about faith-based organizations and world health.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Notable news about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Winning the Ancient Conflict Between Man and Mosquito – GFA World Report Part 2

April 11, 2022 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by KP Yohannan, issued this 2nd part of a Special Report update on winning the ancient conflict against the mosquito and vector-borne diseases.

Receiving the gift of Mosquito Nets — National World Mosquito Day commemorates the discovery in 1897 by British doctor Sir Richard Ross that mosquitoes transmit malaria. Gospel for Asia (GFA World) workers hold a variety of events to distribute mosquito nets to guard against insect-borne diseases, including yellow fever, malaria, dengue and zika. These bednet recipients in South Asia smile with appreciation as they can now sleep without discomfort or fear of mosquito bites at night.

Other Means of Mosquito Warfare, Against Vector-borne Diseases

Local and global management of mosquito-borne viruses, many without a vaccine to prevent or a cure to stop the progression of disease, must rely on preventive as well as palliative measures.

A woman puts up a mosquito bednet. — United Republic of Tanzania: A woman puts up a mosquito bednet to safeguard her family at night from mosquito bites. Photo by WHO / S. Hollyman

First, there are protective measures individuals can practice while traveling to or living in mosquito-compromised territories. For instance, local home-dwellers can start by emptying any containers filled with water that are lying around the yard, house or apartment, or in alleys or garbage-collection centers. Tip over that plastic swimming pool and fill it again when needed. Dump any bowls outside that pets feed from. Some out-of-door containers can have holes punched in their bases so that water drains. Clean rain gutters so they don’t become clogged with leaves or debris, which inhibits rainwater from draining and leaves it to pool for days. These practices prevent mosquitoes from breeding in standing water.

Many of these abatement methods are a matter of paying attention and using common sense regarding standing-water sources. For instance, keep grass mowed, trim back bushes and rake up fallen leaves. These are all places where mosquitoes like to hide and breed. Some recommend that any low-lying depressions in a yard should be filled since they will hold water after lawn irrigation or rain. Swimming pools, of course, need to be kept clean and chlorinated. Stocking any small ponds with fish can deter mosquitoes, as fish eat mosquito larvae. As a last resort, for swarms of mosquitoes, spray insecticides.

This, of course, raises its own problems, since most foggers or sprays carry warnings in bold language on their labels. The possibility of unintentional user-poisoning from these highly lethal compounds is evidenced by the cautionary statements on them. For personal protection, a variety of DEET-free (diethyltoluamide) organic repellants are on the market. Many are safe to use around children. In our modern, chemical-wary society, various natural approaches to combating mosquito hoards are recommended, including growing plants that repel mosquitoes. The smell of marigolds, lavender, sage, rosemary and lemon Thai grass make them ideal candidates. A sprig of fresh rosemary placed in water for a few minutes and then placed on a hot grill is recommended as a natural repellant. In addition, pots of basil, bee-balm, catnip or citronella placed in patio or outside seating areas help reduce mosquito colonies.

For travelers, or people living in high at-risk areas like South Asia, a series of personal techniques can be utilized to combat the potential for mosquito bites. These include the following:

Get vaccinated for diseases like yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis. For all other mosquito-borne diseases, which do not have vaccines or medicines, the key strategy is to prevent mosquito bites.

Cover up with long-sleeved clothes and pants when you’re out and about, especially at dusk or night when you have the greatest risk, and avoid bright clothing.

Burn mosquito coils under your dinner table while sitting or eating outside.

Whenever possible, use insect repellant that’s approved as safe and effective.

Use window or door screens to keep mosquitoes out of your house.

Sleep under a mosquito net at night.

Photo by WHO/HTM/GVCR/2017.01 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO)

Since so many of South Asia’s poorest families cannot afford insect repellant, window screens or long-sleeved clothes, it becomes essential for non-profits like Gospel for Asia (GFA World) to provide the mosquito nets that will at least keep them safe at night.

Bednets distribution — Bednets only have to be changed once every 3-5 years. Here a fresh supply of mosquito nets is distributed to residents in Patang village, Cambodia. Photo by WHO / S. Hollyman

A Childhood Memory of the “Big Ditch”

Long ago, as a schoolgirl, I was assigned to read a book titled Mosquitoes in the Big Ditch. This is the historical account, in children’s literature, of the opening of the Panama Canal, which finally took place after great failure and much loss of life.

Ship passing through the new Agua Clara Locks, Panama Canal. Photo by Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Panama Canal cuts across the isthmus that joins Panama to Costa Rica at its north and to Colombia at its south. Before its engineering, ships needed to traverse around the southern coastline of South America, a lengthy journey by anyone’s measurement. The French had attempted to cut through this land mass and engineer the massive trench that would allow ships to cut their sailing route from east to west (or vice-versa) by thousands of miles. However, due to epidemics of malaria and primarily yellow fever, the French finally withdrew, and after two decades of hard labor and $287 million of investment, the canal project was terminated in 1889.

At this point, the United States bought the development rights to the Canal from the now-bankrupt French for a fraction of the cost. In the history of entomological transmission, the Americans were to succeed where many had failed because a handful of scientists proved yellow fever was caused through the transmission of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Before this discovery, the high incidence of infection was attributed to bad water, foul air and disastrous medical-care decisions that allowed the disease to spread.

U.S. Army physician Major Walter Reed finally demonstrated unequivocally that the vector for yellow fever was the Aedes aegypti. A newly-emerged mosquito was allowed to feed on a suffering patient and then bite volunteer coworkers. As predicted, they succumbed to yellow fever several days later. Mercifully, they recovered from the successful experiment.

In 1904, U.S. Chief Sanitary Officer Dr. William Gorgas took on the task of eradicating yellow-fever-carrying mosquitoes from the 500 square miles of jungle canal-zone. Some 4,000 workers, thousands of gallons of sprayed insecticide, 120 tons of pyrethrum insecticide powder, 300 tons of sulphur and 600,000 gallons of oil later, the task was done.

It was to be the first of many thousands of such efforts, large and small, that would be conducted down through the decades since mosquitoes were defeated in the Big Ditch. It is a war, unfortunately, that needs to be won and won and won.

And while mosquitoes were momentarily defeated to construct the Big Ditch, the ancient war between man and mosquito still wages on every day in places like South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. And it takes “getting to know the enemy” to fulfill the task of eradicating vector-borne diseases, and protect people from life-ending mosquito bites.

You can help in this effort today by making a donation to provide mosquito nets to people in South Asia at risk of mosquito bites. Your gift of $50 will provide mosquito nets for five families in Asia, and safeguard them from the life-ending diseases that mosquitoes transmit.

The bump on my hand, in its conglomerate potential, is not so small after all.

Give Mosquito Nets

Learn how to your gift protects families in Asia from vector-borne diseases.

Read the rest of Gospel for Asia’s Special Report: Winning the Ancient Conflict Between Man and Mosquito: Know Your Enemy or Succumb to Vector-borne Diseases — Part 1

This Special Report originally appeared on gfa.org.

Learn more by reading this special report from Gospel for Asia: Mosquito-Driven Scourge Touches Even Developed Nations — Malaria Alone Claims 400,000 Lives Per Year

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox