I will join Channel Jack and others in congratulating the people of Solomon Islands, the hard working Health workers and to our partners who donate/buy the mosquito nets for us. It is not easy giving up a habit let alone sleeping in a mosquito net under the tropical heat. However, by doing this simple act malaria cases have declined. This is even more significant if we translate it into how many lives were saved including millions of dollars our country has lost through absenteeism from work due to Malaria, not to mention other collateral medical effects individuals have had especially the most vulnerable groups, ie children and pregnant mothers.

This decline in Malaria cases is a superb collaboration effort and I can only wish that we replicate these efforts in other areas like the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB, Nutritional problems, smoking, Diabetes, Heart disease and many other disease entities that continue to threaten our health and progress to our ultimate goals as a nation.

Therefore, let us maintain and sustain this rate of decline and be the first country in the world to eradicate Malaria in the 21st Century, not feasible by any means but certainly not impossible