The National Department of Health, in partnership with Population Services International PNG, has partnered the Pacific Games Organizing Committee, to observe World Malaria day by hosting an Exhibit at the Waterfront plaza in downtown, Port Moresby.
The Official Mascot of the Pacific Games 2015, Tura the Kokomo, was part of the Motorcade that ran through the city, and his presence was part of the Games Organizing committee’s partnership program.
Tura, the official mascot of the 2015 Pacific Games, was at Waterfront in downtown, Port Moresby this morning. The importance of having the mascot’s involvement is two-fold.
Leading up to the games in 2015, the Pacific Games Organizing committee hopes to have Tura involved in as many community oriented programs as necessary, to make the games more appealing to the general public.
Malaria, as the biggest cause of non-transmitted disease death in PNG, is a national concern. Not all countries in the Pacific region have large cases of malarial infection like PNG, and visiting athletes could be susceptible to the disease upon arrival.
With major partner PSI involved in the Malaria Day exhibit, Partnership, Innovation, Commitment, Sustainability, and Measurement are all important strategies that will be used.
The message that Tura is trying to promote, is that in PNG, 13 per cent of children under the age of 5 have malaria, and this places an enormous burden on the clinics and hospitals in PNG.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ITRHONKPJMI%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
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