Stopping a Killer: Preventing Malaria in Our Communities

This 33-page sermon guide was designed to help Muslim and Christian religious leaders understand the dangers of malaria, and what they can do to help save the lives of the people under their care. According to the publishers, the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty (CIFA), religious leaders have a profound ability to change statistics of people dying of malaria, and to lead the fight against malaria at the community level. As respected and trusted local leaders, they have credibility and influence in the lives of people in their communities, thus they need to be equipped to use this influence to educate their congregations about malaria control.

The guide includes six sermons that contain faith-based principles and scriptures to encourage and teach people of faith to fight malaria. Each of the six sample sermons corresponds to key messages about malaria: all people in a household should sleep under a long-lasting insecticide-treated net, especially pregnant women and children under five years; pregnant women must take two doses of anti-malarial medicine as prescribed by a healthcare provider; be receptive to local initiatives to spray the inside or outside of homes; it is important to recognise the symptoms of malaria and to seek treatment; follow treatment guidelines as directed by health facility staff; and keep a clean environment, so mosquitoes cannot breed.

For more information contact: IMA World Healthimainfo@imaworldhealth.org