在乌干达北方的阿莫拉塔尔地区（Amolatar District），前往当地市场的人可能有机会欣赏以预防疟疾为主题的欢快歌舞表演。

安东尼·奥凯罗（Anthony Okello）以他自己创作的词曲，敦促社区民众利用美国赞助的室内喷洒杀虫剂项目，消灭传播致命疟疾病的蚊蝇。

奥凯罗说，“有些社区成员不知道[室内喷药]的重要性。我便想，如果把这写成歌曲，就可以让他们从歌中得知信息。”

2014年，奥凯罗加入了美国 “总统防治疟疾行动计划”（U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative）在乌干达的项目，帮助实施了一些生命攸关的预防疟疾措施，包括“室内滞留喷洒”（Indoor Residual Spraying）项目。他注意到，自从展开这个项目后，他所在社区的患病人数减少。

他说，“我负责送交检测疟疾的血液取样。在实施“室内滞留喷洒”项目之前，10份采样中有7份呈阳性。在实施这个项目后，只有两到三份。”

奥凯罗说服了三个朋友加入他的疟疾音乐教育行动。如今，这四位表演者在地区各个地方都有粉丝。

他们当中的查尔斯·奥卢波特（Charles Olupot）说，“我们在市场上演出是为了要让我们的社区健康。人们听到音乐聚集过来，而我们在唱歌跳舞结束后，就向他们介绍“室内滞留喷洒”项目。

他们还通过歌曲鼓励人们睡觉时使用经过防蚊虫处理的蚊帐，敦促孕妇和有疟疾症状的人到诊所寻求预防和治疗。

致命疾病

疟疾每年在全球造成将近45万人死亡（英文资料），大部分是在非洲撒哈拉以南地区（sub-Saharan Africa）。儿童尤其难以抵御疟疾，在与疟疾相关的死亡中，儿童约占70%。

《总统防治疟疾行动计划2017年报告》（President’s Malaria Initiative 2017 Report）指出，疟疾是造成“儿童上学缺课和成人上班缺勤的主要原因之一”，因此也是导致贫困、缺少食品保障和限制受教育机会的一个因素。

然而，对这种致命疾病是可以预防和治疗的。

挽救生命

正是因为有像激发奥凯罗以演唱方式帮助宣传的一些预防疟疾项目的成功，自从2005年启动“总统防治疟疾行动计划”以来，避免了将近700万人死于疟疾。此外，在一些有美国支持的项目的伙伴国家，疟疾病例也大大减少。

奥凯罗说，“音乐对帮助我们动员人们参与喷洒行动发挥了很大作用。许多人通过这些乐曲，懂得了‘室内滞留喷洒’对控制疟疾的重要。”

4月25日是世界防治疟疾日（World Malaria Day）。

本文素材自取美国“总统防治疟疾行动计划”（英文）博文。

A song to end malaria

Go to the local market in northern Uganda’s Amolatar District and you might be treated to a lively song and dance performance about malaria prevention.

Anthony Okello composed the music and lyrics to encourage the people in his community to take advantage of a U.S.-backed indoor insecticide-spraying program to kill mosquitoes that carry the life-threatening disease.

“Some community members did not understand the importance of [indoor spraying]. I thought, if I write this song, they can pick up messages from it,” Okello said.

In 2014, Okello joined the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative program in Uganda, in which he’s helped to implement lifesaving malaria preventive measures such as the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) Project. He noticed that fewer people in his community got sick with malaria after the spraying program began.

“I was responsible for sending in blood samples for malaria detection,” Okello said. “Before IRS, 7 out of 10 cases would be detected as malaria. After IRS, there were only about two or three.”

Okello convinced three friends to join his malaria education musical act, and the four popular performers now have fans throughout the region.

“We mobilize in the market because we want our community to be healthy. They hear the music and they come, and then we tell them about IRS after we sing and dance,” said fellow musician Charles Olupot.

The songs also encourage people to sleep under insecticide-treated nets and urge pregnant women and those with malaria symptoms to visit health clinics for preventive care and treatment.

A deadly disease

Malaria kills nearly 450,000 people each year around the world, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Children with malaria are especially vulnerable and account for around 70 percent of all malaria-related deaths.

Malaria also contributes to poverty and food insecurity and diminishes educational opportunities because it’s “one of the main reasons that children miss school and adults miss work,” according to the President’s Malaria Initiative 2017 Report.

Although deadly, malaria can also be prevented and treated.

Saving lives

Because of the success of malaria prevention programs like the one that inspired Okello to sing and dance, nearly 7 million lives have been saved since the President’s Malaria Initiative was launched in 2005. Also, there’s a significant decrease in reported malaria cases in the partner countries where the U.S.-backed program works.

“The music helped us a lot to mobilize people for the spray activities,” he said. “Many people had listened to the music and learned how important IRS is in controlling malaria.”

April 25 is World Malaria Day.

This article drew from a story featured on the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative blog.

来源： ShareAmerica