Vestergaard Frandsen celebrates World Malaria Day in Livingstone, Zambia Apr 25, 2008 Vestergaard Frandsen’s regional offices in New York and Nairobi teamed up with Ministers of health from South Africa, Princess Astrid of Belgium, musician Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Roll Back Malaria partnership executives, and Zambezi Expedition sponsors to commemorate the first-ever World Malaria Day on April 25, 2008 in Livingstone, Zambia. On April 24th, Vestergaard Frandsen held a successful media event at the local Livingstone general hospital with Princess Astrid and Yvonne Chaka Chaka to celebrate the organization’s efforts to prevent the spread of the disease, and commemorate an important corporate production milestone. At the event, VFEA Regional Director ,Thomas Hansen gave away the 135 millionth PermaNet® bed nets to the Executive Director of the hospital. PermaNet® bed nets were also provided to all hospital patients, and to all the newborn children and their mothers to take home with them. “Malaria is a global burden calling for a global solution,” said Thomas Hansen. “By exposing the difficulties of delivering malaria prevention tools like PermaNet, the Zambezi Expedition will demonstrate that only coordinated cross-boarder action can tackle this disease. We are proud of the high quality, long lasting nets we produce. But we are more proud of the impact that products like PermaNet® can have on preventing disease, reducing suffering and saving lives on a massive scale. And that is why we are so happy to announce today that we will deliver our 135 millionth bed net, right here in Livingstone, Zambia.” The donation of the 135 millionth PermaNet® demonstrates the success that Vestergaard Frandsen has made in scaling-up production to meet the growing needs of people at risk for contracting malaria in the developing world. The press conference also drew attention to the Zambezi Expedition (for more information please visit their website: http://www.zambezi-expedition.org), which passed through Livingstone during World Malaria Day. Sponsored by Vestergaard Frandsen and others, the Expedition was launched on 27 March 2008 and will navigate its way through Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It will stop in each country to take on board local malaria control staff and journalists for a fact-finding tour of remote river communities exposed daily to life-threatening malaria-carrying mosquitoes. By highlighting both successes and challenges of fighting malaria in these six countries, the Expedition aims to demonstrate that only coordinated cross-border strategies and actions will prove successful in the fight against malaria. The Expedition will distribute donated PermaNet® bed nets in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.   VFEA Regional Director Thomas Hansen and Princess Astrid of Belgium , give Vestergaard Frandsen’s 135 millionth PermaNet to Executive Director of local Livingstone (Zambia) general hospital.     Princess Astrid hands out PermaNet bed nets to patients in Livingstone (Zambia) general hospital on April 24th ,to commemorate World Malaria Day     Read more