WATCH: David Beckham time travels to address malaria
Beckham has launched a voice petition to end malaria.
David Beckham looking into the eyes of a digitally aged version of himself, as part of a campaign calling for action to help prevent deaths from malaria. Picture: Supplied
Former footballer David Beckham appears as an older version of himself in a digitally altered video, delivering a speech to unite the world in defeating its most aged deadliest disease – malaria.
The clip shows him in his 70s in the beginning and then later he is seen returning to his now age, 45, proclaiming that “our world has changed” and “we have ended malaria”.
The video is in light of the Malaria Must Die, So Millions Can Live campaign launched by Beckham.
Beckham says: The fight against malaria is a cause close to my heart because the disease remains a huge killer of children and we have the opportunity to change that in our lifetime.”
According to the latest World Malaria Report 2019, 94% (215 million) of the global 229 million malaria cases – and 94% (384 000) of the 409,000 global malaria-related deaths reported- were from Africa.
In November this year, The Citizen reported that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had warned that Covid-19 could significantly disrupt malaria control activities.
Seemingly, people from malaria-endemic districts like Limpopo and Mpumalanga, were tested for both Covid-19 and malaria during the community-testing phase of the Covid-19 control strategy.
South Africa responded rapidly by modifying malaria control practices and protocols. The goal was to ensure the safety of healthcare workers, malaria control staff and the communities they served. As fever is a symptom of both malaria and Covid-19.
Also in The Citizen, the first case of Odyssean malaria was reported in Tshwane by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).
Odyssean malaria refers to malaria that is acquired in a non-malaria-prone area.
The NICD explained that the woman was likely bitten by an Anopheles mosquito, which was accidentally transported from a malaria-endemic area.
READ MORE: Malaria cases surge in Zimbabwe during virus fight
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