Safari Notes

On the idyllic island of Moheli , the Comoro Islands , a Chinese medical team from Guangzhou University has got involved in a project - to eradicate malaria. Malaria , which, each year, infects hundreds of millions of people around the world, especially in Africa , causes an estimated a million deaths every year; mostly in tropical Africa. The project hasn't received much support from WHO , and and many in the public health community still believe malaria can not be wiped ou t . But the Chinese medical team believes Malaria can be eradicated; if it can be eradicated on the island of Moheli, then, indeed it can be eradicated in other parts of the world. At the same time, the WHO admits that : the world's best hope for a cure to malaria is emerging from China, which is developing a range of highly effective medicines that include a derivative of a traditional herb, qing hao-su or artemisinin. The new treatments combine artemisinin, an extremely powerful anti-malarial agent

"Potentially a holiday paradise with picture-postcard beaches, the Comoros islands are trying to consolidate political stability amid tensions between semi-autonomous islands and the central government." TheBBC "The Comoros islands are wrapped in a fragrant blend of ylang-ylang oil, Arabic aesthetics, African warmth and French chic. Not only this, but they have a colourful history of sultans and soothsayers, plantation owners and eloping princesses." Lonely Planet "Comorian residents call their Country Masiwa, "the islands," or refer to the individual name of each island. Zisiwa za Komor is a translation of the French words for the country. "Comoro" comes from the Arabic qumr, "the moon" or qamar "whiteness". Although Comorians practice Sunni Islam of the Chafeite rite, their social organization is matrilineal and residency is matrilocal. Social life is characterized by a widespread system of exchange, which, in tur