David Beckham is captured surrounded by a swarm of 10,000 mosquitoes in an attempt to challenge global health leaders to ‘take bold action’ against malaria.
In a video clip, the former England football captain, 42, stands in a glass box as he highlights the threat of the disease.
As the flies swarm around he states: ‘We can be the generation that ends it for good, malaria must die so millions can live.’
In 2016, there were 216 million cases of malaria worldwide and 445,000 deaths from the disease, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures.
A recent WHO report found that progress in malaria control has ‘stalled’, which is partly due to insufficient funding, leaving many vulnerable people without protection.
Beckham, who is fronting the ‘Malaria Must Die – So Millions Can Live’ campaign, added: ‘These insects are annoying in places like the UK but in many parts of the world, a mosquito bite is terrifying and deadly, leading to malaria and the loss of a child’s life every two minutes.
‘That’s why I’m standing with the millions who live with this threat every day.’
In a new video, David Beckham appears in a glass box surrounded by mosquitoes in an attempt to challenge global health leaders to ‘take bold action’ against malaria
The former England football captain, 42, who is backing an anti-malaria campaign, says in the clip: ‘We can be the generation that ends it for good, malaria must die so millions can live’
In 2016, there were 216 million cases of malaria globally and 445,000 deaths from the disease
Beckham said that while mosquitoes are irritating in the UK, they can be deadly elsewhere
Beckham, who describes malaria as ‘terrifying’, adds it kills a child every two minutes
Seen swatting mosquitoes away, Beckham adds malaria’s death rate is ‘unacceptable’
‘I’m standing with the millions who live with this threat’
Speaking of malaria’s death rate, Beckham, a founding member of the Malaria No More UK Leadership Council, said: ‘This is totally unacceptable, especially when we know how to prevent and cure it.
‘I urge Commonwealth leaders to be ready to take bold action when they meet in London in April [at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting] and unite to stop this disease in its tracks.’
‘Without urgent action, we risk going backwards’
Dr Pedro Alonso, director of the WHO’s global malaria programme, said: ‘We are at a crossroads in the global response to malaria. Without urgent action, we risk going backwards.
‘About half of malaria deaths each year are in Commonwealth countries. Leaders of these countries must take action now and make a renewed commitment to putting us on the path towards a malaria-free world.’
James Whiting, executive director of Malaria No More UK, added: ‘Malaria is the world’s oldest known disease and history’s deadliest killer. Efforts to fight the disease have delivered unprecedented progress in recent years.
‘But, worryingly, progress has stalled and we risk undoing decades of work’.
Nearly half of the world’s population is at risk of malaria
Nearly half of the world’s population is at risk of malaria, with those living in Sub-Saharan Africa being particularly vulnerable, according to the WHO.
Around 70 per cent of all malaria deaths occur in children under five. Youngsters are thought to be more vulnerable due to their developing immune systems.
The disease is caused by parasites that spread to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
Concerns have recently been raised over increasing pathogen resistance to a key drug, known as artemisinin, in malaria’s treatment. This resistance has been detected in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Malaria is somewhat preventable if people sleep under insecticide-impregnated nets or have their houses sprayed with these substances.
Beckham is urging Commonwealth leaders to take action when they meet in London in April
The footballer believes global health leaders need to unite to stop malaria in its tracks
WHO ARE THE CELEBRITIES SUPPORTING ‘MALARIA NO MORE’?
Footballer David Beckham and tennis star Andy Murray have supported ‘Malaria No More’ since the charity’s 2009 launch.
At the time, Beckham described the prospect of ending the disease as ‘incredible’.
Murray even wore the charity’s logo on his sleeve during his Wimbledon 2016 victory and said defeating the life-threatening condition, as well as his tennis opponents, requires ‘resolute commitment and persistence’.
He previously said becoming a father to his daughter Sophia in 2016 made him more determined to help in the fight to eradicate malaria.
Andy Murray, who has supported Malaria No More since the charity’s 2009 launch, even wore the charity’s logo on his sleeve during his 2016 Wimbledon victory
Fatherhood also inspired ‘I Need Dollar’ singer Aloe Blacc to join the campaign, saying his two children have given him a greater appreciation of the disease’s risks.
TV presenter Charlie Webster also backs the charity after she nearly died from the disease while covering the Olympics in Rio in 2016.
Sprinter Anyika Onuora, who won bronze for Great Britain in Rio’s Olympic games, is also behind the movement after being left temporarily unable to walk when she contracted malaria during a family visit to Nigeria in October 2015.
TV presenter Charlie Webster (pictured while ill in hospital) also backs the charity after she nearly died from the disease while covering the Olympics in Rio in 2016
Adventurer Ash Dykes, who made history when he became the first person to trek the length of Madagascar, is also a Malaria No More ambassador.
At one point, Dykes was described as days away from death when he contracted the deadliest form of the disease during his February 2016 Madagascar trip.
Hull City defender Moses Odubajo, whose mother died from malaria when he was just 16 years old, also supports the charity.
Odubajo’s mother Esther, a health worker, traveled to Ghana to educate people about local diseases and mistakenly thought her Nigerian heritage would protect her against the condition.