Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (November 4, 2011) – Winners of the contest among media on the best coverage of “Methods of Fighting and Preventing Malaria in Kyrgyzstan” were awarded today in the UN House. The official ceremony took place with participation of Alexander Avanessov, UNPD in Kyrgyzstan Resident Representative.
The contest was organized by the UN Development Programme within the grant provided by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to Kyrgyzstan from 27 June to 27 August 2011. The goal of the contest was to increase public awareness of the issues of prevention and timely diagnostics of malaria, especially in the southern regions, where seasonal malaria outbreaks have been observed.
Journalists from news agencies, printed press and radio companies entered the contest and submitted their contest materials (newspaper articles and radio materials in Kyrgyz and Russian) on this topic. The winners of the contests are: Irina Bayramukova, 24.kg News Agency (The Best Coverage in Online Media), Ayjan Mambetalieva, Vecherny Bishkek newspaper (The Best Coverage in Print Media), Gulnun Smanbekova, OTRK Radio (The Best Coverage in Television and Radio). Moreover, runner-up prizes were given to journalists from Kyrgyz Tuusu and Erkin Too newspapers, AKIpress, Kabar and Almaz radio.
The key criteria for evaluation of the materials were relevancy, significance and coherence of narration, as well as depth of analysis in presenting the topic. Expression, accuracy and perspicuity of author’s style, together with creative and unconventional approaches, were also considered.
UNDP within the project of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) is implementing a set of activities to eliminate malaria in Kyrgyzstan in partnership with the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Agency. All layers of the society, medical personnel, social organizations and state institutions are being mobilized to fight and prevent the disease. Houses in the areas prone to malaria outbreaks undergo chemical treatment; families with pregnant women and children under 5 years old are receiving insecticide-treated bed nets from the project. There are also public awareness activities implemented in partnership with Rural Health Committees to address the issues of malaria prevention and treatment. It is expected that malaria will be totally eliminated in Kyrgyzstan by 2015.
United National Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.
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According to experts, the peak of malaria outbreak was recorded in the country in 2002 – 2,744 cases. Prevention activities carried out in Kyrgyzstan in 2010 allowed to decrease malaria cases to minimum. Thus, only 6 cases were reported in 2010 and by 1 June 2011 – 2 cases of imported malaria, of which 1 in Bishkek (imported from Turkey) and 1 in Osh province (imported from Ghana). According to estimates, one fifth of the global population is exposed to the risk of malaria. Every year, over 300 million people get infected, over 1 million of them are fatal cases.
