‘Malaria Atlas Project (MAP) storms into the lead'

‘Malaria Atlas Project (MAP) storms into the lead'

The Malaria Atlas Project has taken a commanding lead in the first annual Madness Against Malaria Fundraising Tournament.

The Malaria Atlas Project (MAP) has been funded for five years by the Wellcome Trust, UK (the largest UK biomedical charity) and was officially launched on 01 May 2006. MAP is a joint project between the Malaria Public Health & Epidemiology Group, Centre for Geographic Medicine, Kenya and the Spatial Ecology & Epidemiology Group, University of Oxford, UK. The main objective of this project is to develop a detailed model of the spatial limits of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria at a global scale and its endemicity (intensity) within this range. The last attempt to map malaria risks worldwide was in the 1960’s. For many areas of the world this, unfortunately, still represents our best information on malaria risk. You can also see some of the first products of the initiative, the spatial limits of malaria in 2005, on the World Swim for Malaria website when you view the country maps. A very detailed description of MAPs aims and objectives can be found at MAP's website (www.map.ox.ac.uk).

To help keep the Malaria Atlas Project in first place feel free to buy bednets at their Madness Against Malaria Page www.MadnessAgainstMalaria.com/map

Other notable entries into the top ten this week include: The fourth place team Rabbis Agaisnt Malaria www.MadnessAgainstMalaria.com/rabbis whose page points out, "Millions of people are dying from malaria most of them children - this can''t be allowed to continue.
All of us have a responsibility to help and save each and every life… In the Talmud there is a saying, 'He who saves one life - it is as if he saved the whole world.'..Buy a bednet and save a world today." ; the eighth place team Africa Fighting Malaria, a not-for-profit health advocacy group based in South Africa and in the United States whose page announces WE INTEND TO UNLEASH OUR MADNESS ON MALARIA!! and the ninth place team, Chaining Malaria, which according to their page is a campaign for each of us to send an email to (at least) three people who we are sure will donate $5 to buy a bednet on the chaining malaria page www.MadnessAgainstMalaria.com/chainingmalaria. They are also going to ask that the email recipients (who they are sure will donate) be sure to keep the chain going by emailing at least three of their friends to donate the $5 and also send the email to their friends who they are sure will donate. The Chaining Malaria page says that, "Chain letters and email can be annoying but this one can change the world and give life to millions - please don''t break the chain of life for these children. It''s just $5 and three emails."

For a full list of up to date standings click here http://madnessagainstmalaria.com/en/Teams_Top64.aspx

To see how the brackets would break down if the tournament ended today click here
http://madnessagainstmalaria.com/en/MarchMadness.aspx and the click on any quadrant you want.

About Madness Against Malaria

Madness Against Malaria is a fun, international online competition to identify the team that is best at raising funds to buy long-lasting insecticidal (mosquito) nets (LLINs) to help in the fight against malaria. The aim is to involve people all over the world. A team is any group willing to band together to raise funds. It could be a school, a group of friends, religious group, science class, volunteer group, company, work colleagues, sports club, family. Each team will try to get others to donate money to the cause at their team page. The aim will be to win the Malaria Cup by raising enough money to be the last team standing. 100% of the money raised will buy long lasting insecticidal mosquito nets. Madness Against Malaria is an initiative of the World Swim For Malaria Foundation (WSMF), a charity registered in the UK, US, Australia and a number of other countries.
WSMF launched and ran World Swim For Malaria (WSM) on 3rd Dec 2005 in which more than 250,000 people swam and fundraised. 100% of the US$1.3m raised purchased 270,000 long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) which are now being distributed to protect 540,000 (mainly) children from biting insects when they sleep at night.

The "regular season" for the Madness Against Malaria Tournament will last from September 2006 until February 2007. Teams set up a sponsorship page online and raise money. Teams can start raising money whenever they like during this period. The top 64 teams by funds raised at the end of February go through to a week-to-week single elimination tournament over six weeks until one team is crowned as the champion. Throughout all phases of the tournament, 100% of funds raised will be used to buy long-lasting insecticidal nets and save lives.

March 1 - 11 - The Tournament begins. The top 64 teams are paired off
and ‘compete’ knock-out style against each other. By March 12, 32
teams remain.

March 12 - 18 - The 32 teams compete against each other and 16 teams remain

March 19 - 25 - Sweet Sixteen single elimination round.

March 26 - April 1 - Elite Eight single elimination round.

April 2 - 8 - Final Four single elimination round.

April 9-15 - Championship Week - single elimination round, winner is announced


There might be some interesting pairings during the Tournament’s single elimination phase. A large multi-national corporation might play against a school of 700 children in Saudi Arabia; a basketball team in Milwaukee against a Rotary club in Australia; a few people in the office of a multinational in Nairobi might be paired against a group of malaria researchers in Switzerland. Teams can be any number of people, from anywhere.

Strategy, timing and tactics will be important. Teams will need to be strategic in their fundraising because it is not a cumulative contest. Money raised does not carry over from the regular season to the elimination round and money raised in each week of the elimination round does not carry over to the next week. To win, a team will need to
finish in the top 64 teams at the end of February, but then that team is paired against another team in the first round of the knock out phase and both start from $0. The team in each pairing raising the most money over the next week, progresses. Each team’s total is then reset to $0 (again). For each of the other final elimination rounds the totals are, likewise, set back to zero.

Teams will need to be smart. If a team finishes at top of the pile at the end of February but is ‘beaten’ in the first knock out round, that team is out.

There is no limit to the number of people you can co-opt into your team at any time. Particularly during March, that may be important…

Will it be a school, a company, a foundation, or a ten year old child that manages to rally everyone in the world around her? Your guess is as good as ours.

To register your team and get started click here www.madnessagainstmalaria.com

Contact: Lance Laifer 203-899-0657
email - vs.malaria@gmail.com