The real life stories behind the malaria statistics
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As our latest real life stories show, whether you’re off for some late summer sun, planning a gap year or going overseas on business – don’t underestimate the need to get protected from malaria before you travel.
Our digital awareness campaign Mozzy Air brings to life the local and global impact of malaria, which affects close to half of the world’s population, and last year, 1,677 Brits returned to the UK having contracted malaria abroad, leading to eight deaths.
Mozzy Air is a fictitious airline created to surprise, engage and inspire UK support to save lives. It’s brought to life through an interactive map showing flight paths from the UK to malarious destinations, filled with human stories going beyond the statistics and into the lives of people affected by malaria. There are people’s stories from all walks of life, from businessman Shaun Ahern who mistook malaria for a hangover, to African singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka, who lost a band member to cerebral malaria through to entertainment entrepreneur Simon Fuller, whose father suffered from reoccurring malaria.
Each story shares the devastating impact of malaria and inspires action, from simple practical steps including personal protection before travelling through to sharing a malaria story or ‘checking in’ to a Mozzy Air flight via twitter using #MozzyAir. Over three million people have been reached by Mozzy Air on Twitter since the month long campaign launched for World Mosquito Day on 20 August.
Arabella Gilchrist, our Communications Director travelled to Ghana earlier this year with Aloe Blacc to see the historic progress towards making sure every home has mosquito nets by the end of this year. Arabella says: “I’ve seen for myself the devastating impact of malaria. We are grateful to everyone who has shared their story so far, each one is a testimony to the human impact caused by malaria and inspires support for our cause. We hope the latest experiences shared through Mozzy Air will fuel further story submissions to help us raise vital awareness to save lives from malaria”.
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