Gospel for Asia Reports: Fighting Malaria – A Chilling Disease (Part 3)

November 13, 2018 By GFA Staff Writer

Wills Point, Texas – GFA Special Report (Gospel for Asia) – Discussing the worldwide strategies and efforts for malaria prevention, to one day create a world where no one dies of malaria.

Bringing Hope to the World

The fight against malaria has been a multi-faceted one, receiving renewed attention in the late 1990s with the 1998 formation of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, a global network to coordinate efforts among governments, UN agencies, international organizations and affected countries. Following that, the Global Fund, which fights malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis by providing grants to countries addressing those problems, was established in 2001.

Numerous charities have formed in the wake of these actions; one of the largest is Malaria No More. Its inception came at a White House event in 2006 that launched former President Bush’s malaria initiative. Nothing But Nets is the United Nations’ campaign to end malaria and enjoys broad support. Imagine No Malaria was launched by the United Methodist Church and partners with Nothing But Nets. In addition to raising money for nets, Imagine works on malaria prevention and education, including distributing malaria advocacy kits for churches.

Major Christian ministries are also active in anti-malaria work, such as Samaritan’s Purse, Compassion International and World Vision. The latter’s Malawi arm announced in mid-February that it would distribute 10.9 million treated mosquito nets by the end of 2018 as part of that African nation’s malaria-control program.

“As World Vision Malawi (WVM), we have never undertaken such a mass campaign, but through close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism, we are going to achieve this,” said Charles Chimombo, WVM’s director of programs.

Among lesser-known, but no less effective, efforts on the ground are those by such ministries as Gospel for Asia (GFA). Based in Wills Point, Texas, for more than 30 years GFA has provided humanitarian assistance and spiritual hope to millions across Asia.

In addition to such services as feeding and educating thousands of needy children, offering free medical care and training, and drilling clean water wells, the ministry distributed 600,000 mosquito nets in 2016.

Fighting Malaria – A Chilling Disease (Part 3) - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — On World Malaria Day in 2016, GFA-supported workers distributed 2,000 mosquito nets to needy families in a community in Asia. Mosquito netting is one of the most cost-effective protections from the spread of diseases transmitted by mosquito bites.

“In many cases, simple changes can create a profound difference in everyday health,” said KP Yohannan, founder and director of GFA. “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.”

One case study of a family helped by such gestures involves a couple named Jitan and Shara and their two children. Living in an area where temperatures commonly soar above 100 degrees for weeks left Jitan, a laborer in the fields, a prime target for the mosquitoes breeding in nearby stagnant ponds and water reservoirs.

Strategic Battle on Malaria Prevention - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Shara and her family are now protected from disease with a mosquito net.

In 2015, one of those mosquitoes bit Jitan and injected malaria parasites into his body.

Fortunately, medical treatment (and prayers from Shara and her father) enabled Jitan to recover after three weeks.

Five months later, the GFA-supported pastor at Shara’s church put her name down as one of 150 recipients for an upcoming GFA-supported mosquito net distribution. Not only did the fabric mean safety at night from mosquito bites, but to Shara it also symbolized how God saw even their smallest needs.

“My husband suffered with malaria fever,” she said. “Consequently, he is physically weak. But this mosquito net will be protection for my family now.”

The gift touched Jitan’s heart as well.

“Christians not only pray for people, but they also fulfill the basic needs of people in the community,” he said.

One night, as they crawled under the safety of their net, he told Shara: “Really, the Lord Jesus is fulfilling our basic need.”

Strategic Battle on Malaria Prevention

When the Gates Foundation adopted its “Accelerate to Zero” strategy in late 2013, it established a core set of foundational principles to make progress toward the goal of eradicating malaria, which it defined as removing the parasites that cause malaria, not simply interrupting transmission.

It sees new drug regimens and strategies as key to that goal, saying clinical cures for individuals do not eliminate the parasites responsible for transmission.

The majority of infections occur in asymptomatic people, who are a source of continued transmission. A successful eradication effort will target such infection through community-based efforts.

Emerging resistance to current drugs and insecticides is a threat to progress, which must guide the use of current tools and development of new ones. And since malaria is biologically and ecologically different throughout the world, strategies must be developed and implemented on a local or regional level.

Nearly five years later, how is the fight proceeding? WHO’s latest malaria report shows some bright spots, such as 44 countries reporting less than 10,000 malaria cases in 2016, compared to 37 nations in 2010.

A malaria researcher sorts mosquitoes - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — A malaria researcher sorts mosquitoes. (Photo by Malaria Consortium on Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

There is also better access to tools for malaria prevention, such as insecticide-treated bednets, and the testing of suspected cases in the public health sector has increased in most regions. Except for the eastern Mediterranean region, where mortality rates have remained unchanged, all regions reported declines in mortality between 2010–2016.

Yet, despite an unprecedented period of success, Dr. Noor says the corresponding slowdowns in mortality decline in some regions, coverage gaps and lack of medical care have slowed progress.

“Identifying what is behind this trend is difficult to pinpoint,” he says. “In any given country, there may be a multitude of reasons as to why the burden of malaria is increasing. Factors impacting progress could range from insufficient funding and gaps in malaria prevention intervention to climate-related variations.”

In its latest report on malaria, WHO set global targets for 2030 to achieve its vision of a world free of the disease. The three pillars of its plan:

Ensure universal access to malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment
Accelerate efforts toward elimination
Transform malaria surveillance into a core intervention.

Accompanying each target are preceding milestones in 2020 and 2025. The four include:

Reduce malaria mortality rates globally compared with 2015 by at least 90 percent.
Reduce malaria case incidence globally compared with 2015 by at least 90 percent.
Eliminate malaria from countries in which malaria was transmitted in 2015—at least 35 countries.
Preventing re-establishment of malaria in all countries that are malaria free.

Dr. Margaret Chan, former Director-General of the World Health Organization - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Dr. Margaret Chan, former Director-General of the World Health Organization (2006-2017). (Photo credit WHO/Pierre Albouy)

Director General Dr. Margaret Chan said a major “scale-up” of malaria responses would not only help countries reach 2030’s targets but would also contribute to poverty reduction and other development goals.

“Recent progress on malaria has shown us that, with adequate investments and the right mix of strategies, we can indeed make remarkable strides against this complicated enemy,” she said.

“We will need strong political commitment to see this through, and expanded financing. We should act with resolve, and remain focused on our shared goal to create a world in which no one dies of malaria.“

Few would argue with those words.

Fighting Malaria – A Chilling Disease: Part 1 | Part 2

This article originally appeared on gfa.org

To read more on Patheos on the problem of Malaria, go here.

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Gospel for Asia: Widows Worldwide Face Tragedy, Discrimination (Part 3)

October 25, 2018 By GFA Staff Writer

Wills Point, Texas – Gospel for Asia (GFA) Special Report – Discussing widow’s plight worldwide as they face tragedy, discrimination, as well as the efforts and opportunities extended to them to give them hope.

Hope to Overcome the Challenges of Widowhood

International Women's Day (March 8) falls on the same day as GFA founder Dr. KP Yohannan's birthday - Gospel for Asia — International Women’s Day (March 8) falls on the same day as GFA founder Dr. KP Yohannan’s birthday, so it’s no wonder that he’s passionate about uplifting the lives of women around the world.

“For millions of widows in Asia, life is incredibly difficult,” says Dr. KP Yohannan, founder and director of GFA. “Many are forced into begging or prostitution to survive. There are 46 million widows on the streets and in slums. There are stories of thousands of widows committing suicide because they have no hope.”

Another widow whose story was featured in “Veil of Tears” faced rejection from her husband’s family after he died. Her nephews refused to give her food, forcing her to beg from passing strangers. Once, when she got sick and suffered from diarrhea for two days, no one would even approach her. Members of a GFA-supported Women’s Fellowship took her to the hospital for treatment, provided her food and found her a home. Most of all, they became a family.

Grassroots Aid

Such caring action demonstrates one way to address widows’ situation: at the grassroots level. This is what GFA does through initiatives such as sewing classes, providing sewing machines and training in skills like candle-making and basket-weaving. Much of this outreach is conducted by Sisters of Compassion (women who are specially trained to care for marginalized groups), leaders of Women’s Fellowship groups and pastors’ wives. As women, they are more readily received into women’s homes in the segregated society.

GFA-supported pastors and workers often help organize events to assist and encourage widows, too. For example, on or soon after last year’s International Widows Day, GFA-supported workers in many different regions distributed numerous sewing machines, goats, piglets, hygiene supplies, mosquito nets and other goods to help improve widows’ lives. They also offered encouragement and reminded them, “In the sight of God our Father, pure and blameless religion is helping the orphans and widows in their need” (see James 1:27).

That stirred reactions like one from Madhuri, a 35-year-old who is the only bread-earner for her children:

“I go house to house in search of work. The piglet I received from you, I will rear nicely and hope it will [provide] a great income for my family. I am very thankful to you.”

Damini, a widow with five children, said:

“I am very happy to get a piglet from the church. I never expected this type of help from the church, but I am lucky to receive the piglet.”

“In the sight of God our Father, pure and blameless religion is helping the orphans and widows in their need.” —James 1:27

In another area, a GFA-supported Women’s Fellowship gave sewing machines to 30 women.

“After my husband died, I was alone doing work in the tea garden and supporting my children,” said Upada, one of the recipients. “I am finding it so difficult to manage our family, but today I am so happy that the church has given me this gift. I believe that this sewing machine will greatly help our family.”

Another widow, Kanan, said, “After my husband’s death, there was no one to help me. I have three children and they are very small. The eldest child is going to school. I was finding life so difficult, but God took care of us and met our needs. … Through this sewing machine, I will try my best to earn money and support my children’s schooling and our family.”

When a church in another district gave 50 widows each a goat, it brought waves of gratitude. Lajita, a widow who received a goat, told of her husband dying four years earlier because of asthma:

“I have three children who are going to school. I worked as a daily laborer in others’ fields. Now, I will rear this goat at home, and she will produce milk. I hope my family’s condition will become better through this goat.”

Income-producing gifts like those found in GFA's Christmas Gift Catalog - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Income-producing gifts like those found in GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog are game changers for widows in need.

Baijanti added, “My husband passed away some eight years ago. I stay with my children. We have no income-generating source, and this goat is going to be a great help for my living.”

An event in Nepal for International Women’s Day in 2017 prompted similar reactions. Thirteen churches organized a women’s conference, during which they provided pressure cookers to 60 widows.

A guest speaker, who had been a widow since age 15, distributed the gifts and encouraged participants:

“Being a widow, it is hard to be alone and at home in the society. Today, many widows are abused by the family and the society. Therefore, I came forward to raise my voice and help them.”

Widow’s Challenges in America

Even in the United States, widows don’t get a pass on life’s challenges. After Artis Henderson’s husband, Miles, died in November 2006 when his Apache helicopter crashed in Iraq, she spent the first year overwhelmed by grief. Without experiencing this kind of sudden tragedy, it’s hard for someone to know how difficult it is to cope when “everything in the world shifts,” she told CNN.

Artis Henderson and her late husband, Miles - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Artis Henderson and her late husband, Miles
(Photo credit Artis Henderson via CNN.com)

“I always remember so clearly, this woman—another widow who was a little further, maybe six months ahead of me in the process—saying to me, ‘You will be disappointed to find out what happens after the first year,'” Henderson said. “And I remember saying, ‘Well, what happens?’ And she said, ‘There’s another year.'”

Other widows report similar grief. At age 59, Ginny McKinney was out shopping with her husband, Dan, for a travel trailer for early retirement when he suddenly dropped dead from a heart attack at age 62.

“I took off for three months, driving a circle around Colorado,” McKinney told the New York Times. “I went to places in the wilderness and on the top of mountains, where I could stand outside and scream at the sky, and scream at God for taking my man. And scream at him for leaving me.”

If the grief isn’t enough, what elderly widows may discover later can also inflict pain. In early 2018, an audit report from the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) inspector general’s office found the agency had underpaid nearly $132 million to more than 9,200 widows and widowers age 70 or older.

The issue stemmed from a budget bill in 2015, when Congress curtailed a strategy where one spouse could suspend a monthly benefit to allow the other spouse’s benefits to increase as long as the second delayed drawing theirs. However, it still allows a widow to claim survivor benefits and delay applying for her own. The SSA failed to inform widows and widowers to consider this option. The inspector general identified 13,555 people who were entitled to claim such benefits; a random sample showed that 82 percent could have drawn a higher monthly benefit if they claimed survivor benefits and held off drawing their own retirement.

“I went to places in the wilderness and on the top of mountains, where I could stand outside and scream at the sky, and scream at God for taking my man. And scream at him for leaving me.”

However, the situation for widows in other parts of the world remains even more dire. For example, in a 2015 story, the India Times reported the majority of Indian widows are deprived of their inheritance rights, especially if they are childless or have only daughters. This happens despite a 1969 law that made women eligible to inherit equally with men.

Among other problems, widows in Asia may face:

Prohibition of remarriage
Being forced to follow certain mourning rites
Becoming victims of violence, much of it stemming from common accusations that they caused their husband’s death
Economic hardships

Sharing Hope

Given this situation, Yohannan also believes the ultimate answer will be found from more women, regardless of where they live, learning who they are in Christ and what God thinks about them as individuals. Widows like Gulika have found hope when they learned that God treasures them.

However, Yohannan emphasizes the importance for Christ followers to provide practical assistance for widows and their children.

“God judged Israel because they did not care for the poor and suffering,” Yohannan says. “The Body of Christ is responsible to care for them. We must do everything we can to alleviate suffering and do whatever it takes to help people who are forsaken in their own communities.”

Obeying God’s command to take care of widows, GFA supports workers dedicated to ministering to widows all across Asia.

In 2017, GFA helped provided free health care training to 289,033 women, taught 50,624 illiterate women how to read and write, provided vocational training to 10,965 women desperately in need of a job, and gave out 8,763 sewing machines to vocational graduates, many of whom are widows struggling to survive. So, while widows worldwide face tragedy and discrimination, some are finding hope and a future through help from organizations like Gospel for Asia.

To conclude on a positive note, here is a letter written by Dr. KP Yohannan to friends and donors of GFA about one widow’s journey from despair to joy:

When Kaavya’s husband died as a result of his alcohol addiction, she had to work hard as a daily wage laborer to feed her six children and look after her household. No one helped her because she lived in a society where people believed it is the wife’s fault if her husband dies before she does—regardless of the circumstances. In essence, she and her children were abandoned.

Kaavya and her children lived in a small, old hut, and life was a constant struggle for survival…

Read the rest of the letter from KP Yohannan

Widows Worldwide Face Tragedy, Discrimination: Part 1 | Part 2

This article originally appeared on gfa.org

To read more on Patheos on widow’s plight worldwide, go here.

With Malaria, Even a Simple Kindness Matters

August 18, 2018 By GFA Staff Writer

Will malaria finally stop claiming innocent lives in this decade or this century? Maybe. Great strides are made every year toward infection prevention and disease cures. Still, since time immemorial, it remains one of the most stubborn diseases in the world.

Malaria preventatives and cures work if the right medication is administered in time. That’s a blessing. A childhood vaccine that could protect against infection is finally on the horizon. Insecticides also attack the disease from the opposite direction by controlling the population of malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Yet, even with all these efforts, the insects as well as the parasites they host are notoriously resilient. It’s always an uphill battle.

The World Health Organization (WHO) believes several countries could eliminate malaria by 2020. They refer to those locations as “E-2020” countries. Global organizations and medical research groups do great work toward eventual total eradication. South-East Asia, Africa and the Americas, they explain, have seen the most notable, recent success in fewer lives lost to the terrible disease.

In the meantime, how many more people will become infected? How many will die? Eradication matters, but so do the lives of people suffering and at risk today.

Global elimination efforts are complex and cost billions, according to WHO. But a person can find safety tonight behind a simple, inexpensive mosquito net. That’s where GFA-supported workers step in. Netting can’t erase this terrible disease from Earth, but it can help families stay healthy until that day arrives.

There is No Harvest Tomorrow Without Labor Today

You can’t plant a crop in the morning and expect a meal from the same field for tonight’s supper. The same could be said of the efforts to eliminate malaria. The seeds planted today may yield a bountiful harvest of health and happiness in years to come. But what happens in the meantime?

The simple protection of a mosquito net might seem less grand in scope than wiping the disease from the planet. Maybe no one will win an award for going from village to village with stacks of netting to distribute to people in need. For the lives they save today, those small kind gestures are priceless.

Mosquito nets in conjunction with insecticides, preventative medications and medical cures form a more united front. They help fewer people become infected with malaria and help more infected people survive.

God Asks Us to Tend to the Here-and-Now

Right now, people stand at risk of contracting a disease that’s a legendary killer. We should plan for a brilliant tomorrow without malaria. We should celebrate the wonderful research that could make it a reality. That’s the only way a healthy harvest can ever be realized. It also appears to be the trajectory we’re on. But planning and hope shouldn’t come at the expense of tending to the sometimes-unglamorous business of today. If a life’s work is only unglamorous, it still matters; it still makes a difference.

Jeremiah 29 contains powerful lessons about perseverance and optimism. Although some verses—especially verse 11—is often interpreted as God’s promise of swift deliverance from all suffering, many Bible scholars agree that’s not the case. Dig in a little deeper.

In context, this chapter and verse teach us that God does, indeed, have a wonderful plan for the future. Deliverance might not happen in this life, and it still requires something from us today.

God asks us to do what we can to make the best of where our feet are planted, whether or not we take part in reaping a grand crop. That’s why the humble work of distributing mosquito nets matters so much.

The British Medical Journal (BJM) says each year brings approximately 250 million new cases of malaria worldwide. Of the people infected, nearly 800,000 don’t survive the ravages of the disease.

There is no guarantee that malaria will be eliminated this year, this decade or this century, but people still need help today.

Mosquito nets make an enormous difference in protecting people - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Mosquito nets make an enormous difference in protecting people at risk of getting bit by a malaria infected mosquito.

GFA-supported Workers Take Help Directly to the People at Risk for Malaria

If you have children or you’ve spent much time around them, you probably know the devotion of a loving parent. When a child is sick, Mom or Dad are on call. If there’s a risk of illness, they watch over their child for any signs that it’s true.

Imagine, then, the restless nights of parents whose children could suffer a deadly mosquito bite while they sleep. How would you protect your child? Would you stand guard all night with a fan to wave the mosquitoes away? What if just one—the wrong one—gets past you? Would you use insecticide? What if it stops working? If your child does become sick, is there medicine nearby to cure them, and will the medicine work? WHO explains that drug resistance is a growing problem.

Children are the most innocent among us. It’s easy to have your heartstrings twisted into knots thinking about a sweet life cut short. When children do survive, they may suffer lifelong effects. Malaria Journal points to research that shows some children suffer cognitive impairments as well as short- and long-term behavioral challenges.

But malaria has no respect for anyone of any age. Moms and dads can succumb to the disease. So can teenagers and young adults. Elderly people are at an especially high risk of dying, says BJM, much higher than adults under the age of 65.

Mosquito nets do so much more than protect children and whole families against insects that carry deadly parasites. They bring peace of mind right now where the need is great. They’re simple, inexpensive, easy to transport, and they go to work immediately. They require no special medical or technical knowledge, and they can remain effective for as long as the fabric holds up.

With support from GFA, devoted workers in malaria-torn regions can illustrate the love of God face to face in one of the most touching and tangible ways. When one simple mosquito net passes from the hands of a worker into those of a person in need, the love of God is shared along with it.

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To give the gift of a simple kindness — mosquito nets — visit the GFA website.

Learn more about malaria prevention by visiting our Special Report.

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Image Sources:

Mosquito net: By தகவலுழவன் [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

How Malaria Spreads and Kills and How to Help

August 8, 2018 By GFA Staff Writer

Is there anything in the world more precious than a baby who’s safe and sound in dreamland? Parents do everything they can to protect their children from harm. Unfortunately, some of the most dangerous risks are unavoidable without help. Many exist just because of where a family happens to live.

Malaria is one such risk, and it has no respect for the age, fragility or innocence of a person.

Malaria is no ordinary disease. You’ve heard of it, almost certainly. You probably have a general idea about how it spreads and in which parts of the world it tends to thrive. But do you know what really happens when a person is infected? And are you aware that the world’s first malaria vaccine has only recently entered testing in the field?

It’s an age-old problem that still needs a definitive solution.

How old? According to the Journal of Infectious Disease, Hippocrates, widely regarded as the father of medicine, discussed a disease that many believe was malaria. Modern scientists have also discovered infected mosquitoes preserved in primitive samples of Baltic amber.

It seems to have nearly always been around. But stopping it has been proven to be an insurmountable task. Malaria-preventive medications exist, but a vaccine has been a long and laborious journey. While mosquito netting seems like an ordinary thing, it has the power to save lives by preventing mosquito bites. Netting isn’t new or fancy, but it’s on the front lines of defense, especially in parts of the world where medical care is more difficult to find.

Galatians 6:2 tells us, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Through the combined efforts of devoted missionaries, the World Health Organization (WHO) and several other globally recognizable organizations and foundations hard at work, we can protect against this terrible disease and cure it when it happens.

Gospel for Asia is involved in the good fight to protect people from malaria. GFA has distributed hundreds of thousands of mosquito nets to people throughout South Asia who could die without them. In 2017 alone, GFA distributed over 300,000 mosquito nets.

What Exactly is Malaria?

Malaria isn’t a bacterial or viral infection; it’s a tiny parasite called plasmodium, which has five known types, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Plasmodium vivax
malariae
ovale
falciparum
knowlesi

Of these, P. vivax and P. falciparum are the most common. Of the two, P falciparum is the deadliest form. It’s also the most common in sub-Saharan Africa. P. knowlesi often infects primates, but it can also infect humans, specifically people living and traveling in Southeast Asia.

Each type of malaria has its own nature, but all infections have a similar course. First, they travel to the liver of the infected person, where they pause and multiply. Then they infect the red blood cells, where they multiply and spread.

Depending on the age and health of the infected person, symptoms emerge between one and two weeks after being infected with the parasites. The first symptoms, says WHO, are similar to a bout with the flu: fever, chills, headache and vomiting.

Fortunately, malaria is often curable. However, a cure depends on timely diagnosis, the right medication—and enough of it. Caught early, medication eliminates the parasite. Unchecked, a person infected with the parasites can die.

Without treatment, or without the correct medication for the person, malaria advances by destroying red blood cells and blocking capillaries to vital organs, which can end in organ failure and death.

Malaria preventive medications kill the parasites if they enter the body. Several such medications exist, but not every drug is right for every person. For people traveling where malaria is a problem, they offer reliable protection. But for people living where malaria is always a risk, daily medications aren’t a viable solution.

How Does the Malaria Disease Keep Spreading?

The plasmodium parasite is only transmitted by female mosquitoes of the Anopheles genus. Female Anopheles mosquitoes don’t inherently carry the parasite as part of their biological makeup, so not all of them can infect a person. However, WHO explains that all malaria-carrying mosquitoes that transmit the disease to humans are the female Anopheles.

Anyone who welts up and itches practically at the thought of a mosquito knows these insects are nearly always hungry. They bite humans to find a blood meal, which helps them nourish their eggs. When the right mosquito takes a blood meal from a person with malaria, the parasite enters the insect’s body, where it reproduces. The cycle for that mosquito has then begun.

But mosquitoes don’t bite in the truest sense of the word, and they also do more than extract blood. Infection begins with an injection.

The familiar sting comes from the proboscis, which is the scientific name for a mosquito’s long, multi-prong, needle-like nose. The bite is really a stab, which allows the mosquito to withdraw blood and inject its own saliva. Plasmodium parasites thrive in the saliva of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.

Once the mosquito extracts malaria parasites from its victim, the parasites reproduce inside the insect’s body. The next time the mosquito needs a blood meal, the stab injects parasites into its new victim while it extracts blood. The more people it bites, the more people it infects, and the more people who carry the malaria parasite to infect more and more female Anopheles mosquitoes.

It’s a vicious, unrelenting cycle.

What Strides are Being Made Toward Malaria Prevention?

With anti-malaria drugs long in existence, people have had protection against the parasites multiplying and attacking the blood and vital organs. Quinine was the only reliable drug known to cure malaria until the 1930s, according to the Nobel Prize website. Several other drugs, such as Chloroquine and the drug combination known as Malarone, have been developed along the way. Prevention has always been elusive.

A physical barrier is one way to protect against the dreaded stab of the infected mosquito, not to mention the frustrating itch of any mosquito bite as well as other annoying insects. Mosquito netting might seem like a rather primitive method, but it works. Not only that, it carries the one-two punch of being effective and inexpensive. Treated with insecticide, netting becomes a bonafide protective barrier. That’s a boon for parts of the world where millions are at risk.

Mosquito netting is a lightweight mesh material with tiny openings. Air can breeze through, but mosquitoes can’t. Babies can sleep safely and soundly. So can their siblings, parents, grandparents and everyone else who has a net.

God calls us throughout the Bible to lend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters in need. Philippians 2:4 reminds us, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others.” That is the way of the missionary. But missionaries aren’t the only ones who can make a difference. Anyone can play a part.

GFA-supported workers distribute mosquito nets, providing effective barriers in villages where the need is greatest. It’s amazing how something so simple can work so well. We have helped distribute hundreds of thousands of nets to communities in need. The work of this ministry wouldn’t have been possible then, and couldn’t be possible now, without many people working together to make it happen.

Nets have been around for many, many years. An effective vaccination, however, hasn’t.

Malaria is one of the most resilient and persistent parasitic infections in the world. Just when incidence of infection begins to show signs of improvement, it surges once again. It tends to favor climates where mosquitoes thrive, which means it’s not confined to any particular region. People throughout Africa, Asia and South America are at a particularly high risk. Some cases have been noted in North America but have generally been attributed to infected travelers returning from abroad.

Until the disease is eradicated, malaria prevention requires all life-saving methods available and all hands on deck. And that includes mosquito netting. For a thorough look at the disease and how we’re fighting malaria worldwide, see our Special Report on this topic.

GFA believes in helping carry the burden of our brothers and sisters around the world. We’re devoted to sharing God’s boundless mercy and love, sometimes in the simplest and most surprising of ways.

What could be simpler than a length of plain, fine mesh fabric? It’s not sophisticated like medications that take years of research and testing. But in some ways, it’s better because the effect is immediate. While people around the world continue to wait for a medical solution to malaria, mosquito nets shield them in the here and now. They work without any unfortunate side-effects, and one inexpensive net can last for years.

Proverbs 19:17 tells us that God sees and remembers our kindness toward the people in need. ‘Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”

Think about a precious baby living in danger of contracting a life-threatening disease from a mosquito bite. Now imagine protecting the health of that child for about the cost of a fast food meal. If you want, you can do that online by going to this webpage at gfa.org.

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With My Husband Gone, What Will Happen to Me and My Son?

December 12, 2017 By GFA Staff Writer

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

It’s Christmastime, “the most wonderful time of the year”! And we at Gospel for Asia believe the Lord God desires all peoples to enter into His joy this season—and all year ‘round. That is why the angels proclaimed at the Christ’s birth that they bring “good news of great joy that will be for all people” (see Luke 2:10).

But for some, instead of joy, the holiday season heralds in a season of loneliness and discouragement, especially for those who may not have anyone to celebrate with or who have lost the ones they used to celebrate with. Grief and heartache shroud our joy, and Christmastime can become just another event filled with painful memories of what has been lost.

Imani received a new weaving loom - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Imani received a new weaving loom as part of a Gospel for Asia-supported Christmas gift distribution.

Imani understood this grief. She had lost her husband, who was a Gospel for Asia-supported pastor , and her heart filled with sorrow. She wondered how she would care for her son alone. But then something wonderful happened that helped lift the shroud of loneliness and discouragement.

The local church had a Gospel for Asia-supported Christmas gift distribution to take care of those in need, and she received a weaving loom. To Imani, it showed her how the Lord and His Church had not forgotten her.

“I was thinking, What will happen to me and my son? when my husband left us on this earth alone,” Imani said. “Today I felt sad, as I missed my husband, but at the same time I count myself blessed and thank the leaders for not forgetting me and for giving me a gift by which I can look after my son and look after my family needs. I am truly encouraged by your love.”

For those who find the Christmas season challenging—and born-again believers can also fall into that group—sometimes all it takes is a thoughtful word, card or gift that reminds them they are not forgotten. It can remind them once again that this holiday season is truly one of “great joy.” The Lord Jesus wants everyone to experience that.

Christmas gifts from barnyard animals to sewing machines to rickshaws to mosquito nets KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Gospel for Asia-supported workers give out all sorts of Christmas gifts from barnyard animals to sewing machines to rickshaws to mosquito nets that help get people out of poverty or improve their quality of life.

Last year, more than 600,000 people all across Asia got to taste the “good news of great joy” after receiving Christmas gifts from GFA-supported workers. Many of those people may have been living in grief and heartache; many may have been wondering how they would make it through another day. Yet, at just the right time, God showed them they were not forgotten and that they, too, could have joyful lives.

You, the one reading this right now, were probably part of helping these precious men, women and children experience that joy if you gave to or prayed for Gospel for Asia last year. And we thank you for joining us as we seek to show others across the world what this holiday season is truly about. Our field partners in Asia are actively spreading good cheer and joy throughout December. We at GFA are praying for them and the many lives who will be touched this Christmas. Will you join us?

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Gospel for Asia Reports: Fighting Malaria – A Chilling Disease (Part 2)

November 11, 2018 By GFA Staff Writer

Wills Point, Texas – GFA Special Report (Gospel for Asia) – Discussing the continuing battle in fighting malaria worldwide via mosquito netting and medical care to combat this parasitic genius.

Hippocrates (460–370 B.C.) described malaria in the ancient world - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Hippocrates (460–370 B.C.) described malaria in the ancient world.

Combating a Tough Disease

Malaria has a history extending back thousands of years. The legendary Greek doctor, Hippocrates (born in 460 B.C.), described periodic fevers. It was so common in the Roman Empire that one report said it may have contributed to the empire’s decline. At one time, it was also common across Europe and North America.

Malaria needs a combination of high population density, high anopheles mosquito density, and high rates of transmission from humans to mosquitos and vice versa. If any of the factors is lowered sufficiently, the parasite will eventually disappear from the area. However, unless eliminated entirely, it can be re-established if conditions revert to a combination favorable to the parasite.

The battle against the disease has raged for centuries. Scientific studies on malaria saw their first major advance in 1880, when a French army doctor working at a military hospital in Algeria observed parasites in the red blood cells of infected patients. Alphonse Lavern suggested that malaria was caused by this organism, which along with other later discoveries, earned him the Nobel Prize in 1907.

More than a century later, the battle fighting malaria continues. It is expensive. According to one report on research and development challenges in the health field, one drug costs $150–200 million and seven to 10 years to develop, one vaccine costs $600–800 million and takes 10–15 years, one diagnostic costs up to $50 million and takes three to five years, and one vector control product takes $60–65 million and 10–12 years. It projects the annual research and development need for malaria over a decade ending in 2022 will range from $5.5 billion to $8.3 billion.

Still, it is a war worth waging. Not only can severe cases cause lifelong intellectual disabilities, but its economic impact can cost billions of dollars annually in lost productivity. WHO says certain population groups are at higher risk of contracting malaria and developing serious disease: children under 5, pregnant women, patients with HIV/AIDS, non-immune immigrants, and mobile populations and travelers.

Gospel for Asia Reports: Fighting Malaria – A Chilling Disease (Part 2) -KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Young children are often at higher risk of contracting malaria. In 2012, an estimated 207 million people suffered from malaria. About 627,000 people died, and 77 percent of those deaths were among children under the age of 5. (Photo credit Nothing But Nets)

To date, vaccines have been lacking, but WHO hopes Mosquirix™ will prove to be a game changer. It will be administered to at least 360,000 children in areas of Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, with some regions selected for participation to serve as comparison groups to areas where the vaccine will not be available initially.

Developed by the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative and GlaxoSmithKline with support from the Gates Foundation, Mosquirix™ was engineered with genes from the outer protein of a malaria parasite, a portion of a hepatitis B virus, and a chemical component to boost immunity. The vaccine works to prevent infection by blocking the parasite from infecting the liver.

Although WHO has yet to make a policy recommendation for large-scale distribution beyond the pilot program, it saw some encouraging—though limited—results in a five-year-long trial (phase three of the program).

“In its ability to adapt and survive, the malaria parasite is a genius. It’s smarter than we are.”

The trial, which concluded in 2014, enrolled approximately 15,000 infants and children in seven sub-Saharan nations. Among participants who received four doses, the vaccine prevented approximately four in 10 cases of malaria (39 percent) over four years of follow-up and just over three in 10 cases of severe malaria (32 percent). Significant reductions were seen in overall hospital admissions and those for malaria and severe malaria.

It will be evaluated for use as a complementary tool, along with the preventive, diagnostic and treatment measures WHO recommends, such as indoor residual spraying with insecticides and the use of anti-malarial medicines.

Challenges Ahead for Fighting Malaria

Progress has been made in the past. WHO’s long-term strategy report, which outlines steps to attack the problem by 2030, says between 2001–2013 an expansion of intervention contributed to a 47 percent decline in mortality rates worldwide. That meant an estimated 4.3 million fewer deaths.

Still, malaria remains a persistent foe. The ability of parasites to evolve and develop resistance is one of the leading challenges. According to one report, a particular class of parasites has demonstrated the capability—through the development of multiple drug-resistant forms—for evolutionary change, which can affect the efficiency of vaccines and other treatments.

As malaria mutates, it can gain resistance to common drugs - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — As malaria mutates, it can gain resistance to common drugs like this one. Photo by Arne Hoel / World Bank on Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Such possibilities surfaced recently in the United Kingdom. Like the U.S., the UK is largely malaria-free but still sees about 2,000 cases annually among travelers returning from other nations. In early 2017, researchers found a drug commonly used in the UK that had been highly effective at treating malaria, but it had failed to cure four patients who contracted the disease while visiting Africa.

Although the patients recovered after receiving alternative treatment, research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said the failure was due to strains of the disease showing reduced susceptibility. It was also a possible first sign of drug resistance to a drug known as AL, for artemether-lumefantrine.

Dr. Colin Sutherland led a study on malaria's resistance - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Dr. Colin Sutherland led a study on malaria’s resistance to certain treatment drugs. (Photo credit sverigeradio.se)

Dr. Colin Sutherland, who led the study, told the London Telegraph that treating patients there with AL “might need reviewing.”

“Fortunately, there are other effective drugs available,” Dr. Sutherland said. “(But) frontline doctors should be alert to the possibility of artemisinin-based drugs failing, and assist with the collection of detailed information about specific travel destinations. A concerted effort to monitor AL outcomes in UK malaria patients needs to be made. This will determine whether our front-line malaria treatment drug is under threat.”

In addition, Sutherland told the newspaper that drug resistance is one of the “biggest threats we face” in fighting malaria, and it had already started occurring in parasite strains prevalent in parts of Southeast Asia. Mutations found in genes previously implicated in drug failure in Africa warrant further investigation, the doctor said.

A GFA-supported pastor helps those affected by flooding in South Asia - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — A GFA-supported pastor helps those affected by flooding in South Asia. Standing water after a flood provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes, and the danger of malaria can increase.

In addition to the medical challenges, there are social and environmental factors. WHO’s 15-year strategy report outlines such problems as social unrest, conflict and humanitarian disasters as major obstacles to progress. So are outbreaks of other diseases, like the Ebola virus in West Africa, which affected countries endemic for malaria and diminished their ability to control malaria.Climate change is another factor.

“Given the association between malaria transmission and climate, long-term malaria efforts will be highly sensitive to changes in the world’s climate,” the report says. “It is expected that—without mitigation—climate change will result in an increase in the malaria burden in several regions of the world that are endemic for the disease, particularly in densely-populated topical highlands.”

Director-General World Health Organization - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General World Health Organization (2017-present). Photo by itupictures on Flickr / CC BY 2.0

In the 2017 World Malaria Report, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus—former health minister for Ethiopia—termed the malaria response as “at a crossroads.” He said continuing with a “business as usual” approach with the same level of resources and interventions means a likely increase in malaria cases and deaths.”It is our hope that countries and the global health community choose another approach,” Ghebreyesus said in his foreword, “resulting in a boost in funding for fighting malaria programs, expanding access to effective interventions and greater investment in the research and development of new tools.”

Fighting Malaria – A Chilling Disease: Part 1 | Part 3

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Gospel for Asia Reports: Fighting Malaria – A Chilling Disease (Part 1)

November 9, 2018 By GFA Staff Writer

Wills Point, Texas – GFA Special Report (Gospel for Asia) – Discussing the fight against malaria, prevention via mosquito netting and medical care to combat a parasitic genius.

Fighting Against Malaria

Though eradicated in many developed nations, malaria still claims thousands of lives around the world. One victim who survived this mosquito-borne disease compared its chills to “lying down between two blocks of ice.”

Each year, more than 400,000 people don’t survive those terrifying shudders.

As part of its long-term goal to eradicate malaria, this year the World Health Organization (WHO) is launching the first field test of a vaccine in real-world settings. Known as RTS,S, or Mosquirix™, the United Nations agency says this is the first vaccine shown to provide partial protection against malaria in young children by acting against the deadliest parasite globally. It will be made available to select residents of three countries in Africa, the continent linked to the highest number of cases. In addition to combating it, the organization hopes to train a spotlight on the need for dramatically increased funding for the fight against malaria.

Dr. Pedro Alonso, director of the World Health Organization's Global Malaria Program - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Dr. Pedro Alonso, director of the World Health Organization’s Global Malaria Program. (Photo credit Malaria World Congress)

“Progress in the global malaria response has unquestionably stalled,” said Dr. Pedro Alonso, director of WHO’s Global Malaria Program, in a letter last December.

“Clearly, to get the response back on track, increased funding is urgently needed from international donors and endemic countries. Critical gaps in access to tools that prevent, diagnose and treat malaria must be found and filled.”

To get an idea of the obstacles presented by malaria, consider the toll during 2016. Worldwide, there were 216 million cases, an increase of 5 million over the previous year. The death toll of 445,000 nearly matched that of 2015.

Although $2.7 billion was invested in the fight against malaria in 2016, WHO estimates a minimum of $6.5 billion will be needed annually by 2020.

Malaria is transmitted by infected female mosquitoes called anopheles - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Malaria is transmitted by infected female mosquitoes called anopheles. (Public domain)

A life-threatening disease, malaria is caused by parasites transmitted to people through bites of infected female mosquitoes, known as anopheles. In people lacking immunity—especially pregnant mothers and young children—symptoms appear 10 to 15 days after the bite. Fever, headache, chills and vomiting are among the symptoms.

Severe cases in children can include severe anemia and respiratory distress, while in adults, the disease can affect multiple organs. Without treatment within 24 hours, certain kinds of malaria can cause death.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says malaria occurs mostly in poor tropical and subtropical areas of the world and is a leading cause of illness and death in those regions. Some 3.3 billion people live in areas at risk of transmission.

Although Africa is home to the majority of cases, the problem exists across the globe, as evidenced by its presence in 91 countries. For example, to the east of the continent, CDC maps show malaria is prevalent across South Asia. That includes all of Laos, Bangladesh and India (except at higher elevations), and much of Cambodia and Pakistan (below 2,500 feet altitude). It is also present in areas of eastern Indonesia and some areas of Thailand, Vietnam, Burma (Myanmar) and Papua New Guinea.

The CDC Malaria Map shows where malaria is prevalent in the world - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — The CDC Malaria Map shows where malaria is prevalent in the world.

Even in the United States, which largely eradicated the problem in the early 1950s, the CDC says 1,700 cases are diagnosed annually. The majority are among travelers and immigrants returning from countries where transmission occurs, many from South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. There were also 63 outbreaks of locally transmitted, mosquito-borne malaria between 1957 and 2015.

This fight goes on despite the awarding of five Nobel Prizes in physiology or medicine for work associated with malaria between 1902 and 2015. Small wonder that a National Institutes of Health researcher once commented, “In its ability to adapt and survive, the malaria parasite is a genius. It’s smarter than we are.”

Bill and Melinda Gates discuss malaria at the Bagamoyo District Hospital in Tanzania - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Bill and Melinda Gates discuss malaria at the Bagamoyo District Hospital in Tanzania. (Photo credit Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2018 Annual Letter)

Spotlight on World Malaria Day

It isn’t just WHO focusing attention on malaria. In January, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (long involved in anti-malaria causes), the Inter-American Development Bank and the Carlos Slim Foundation announced they would provide a collective total of $83.6 million in new funding for fighting against malaria in seven nations in Central America and the Dominican Republic.

The Regional Malaria Elimination Collective is also aimed at ensuring malaria treatment remains a health and development priority. The funds are to help leverage more than $100 million in domestic funding and $39 million of existing donor money by 2022. Although Central America has seen a 90 percent drop in cases since 2000, “progress against the mosquito-borne disease has stalled and several countries in the region still have significant problems with malaria,” reported Reuters News Service in late January.

These developments occur amid the upcoming World Malaria Day (Apr. 25), which has been an annual emphasis since 2007. The international observance was established by WHO’s decision-making body to provide education and understanding of the disease and to spread awareness of strategies to curtail its spread.

Former President George W. Bush gestures during an address in honor of Malaria Awareness Day - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Former President George W. Bush gestures during an address in honor of Malaria Awareness Day on Friday, April 25, 2008. (Photo credit George Bush Archives)

On its first year, former President George W. Bush designated Apr. 25 as “Malaria Awareness Day” and called on Americans to join the effort to eradicate the disease on the African continent.

Among the initiatives announced were a $3 million challenge grant from ExxonMobil, a fundraising promotion by Major League Soccer, a challenge by Pastor Rick Warren to 300,000 churches to take on malaria as a cause, and a campaign against malaria by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

A number of countries participate, spanning such nations as the U.S. to Germany to India, Nigeria and Uganda. In addition to governmental action, businesses, non-governmental organizations and individuals use the day as an opportunity to engage in fundraising, while many media outlets help publicize public awareness campaigns.

World Malaria Day helps shine a spotlight on prevention, a crucial strategy in reducing the incidence of the disease. WHO says that since 2000, this has played a key role in reducing cases and deaths, with the indoor spraying of insecticides and distribution of insecticide-treated nets leading the way.

What difference has this made? Across sub-Saharan Africa, just over half the population slept under nets in 2015, compared to less than a third five years earlier. During that time period, preventive treatment for pregnant women increased five-fold in 20 African nations. Globally, new malaria cases fell 21 percent between 2010–2015, while death rates declined by 29 percent. However, much remains to be done.

WHO’s global technical strategy has a goal of a 40 percent reduction in malaria cases and deaths by 2020, but less than half of the countries facing the threat are likely to meet that target.

In commenting on the 2017 World Malaria Report issued last November, Dr. Noor said there are continued gaps in coverage of basic prevention, diagnostic and treatment tools.

“As noted in the report, less than half of households in countries in sub-Saharan Africa have sufficient bednets, and only about one-third of children in the African Region with a fever are taken to a medical provider in the public health sector,” he said.

Dr. Abdisalan Noor of the World Health Organization's Global Malaria Program Surveillance Unit - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Dr. Abdisalan Noor of the World Health Organization’s Global Malaria Program Surveillance Unit. (Photo credit Wellcome Trust Blog)

Indeed, Dr. Abdisalan Noor, team leader of WHO’s Global Malaria Program Surveillance Unit, says the declining trend in malaria cases and deaths has slowed and even reversed in some regions over the past three years.In commenting on the 2017 World Malaria Report issued last November, Dr. Noor said there are continued gaps in coverage of basic prevention, diagnostic and treatment tools.

Fighting Malaria – A Chilling Disease: Part 2 | Part 3

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