WMC-TV: News, Weather, Traffic, Radar, and Sports for Memphis, TN; WMCTV.com | Syan Rhodes reports from Tanzania

Syan Rhodes reports from Tanzania

This was a very personal trip for members of the National Association of Black Journalists chosen for this fellowship. Last year one of the members contracted malaria in Africa and died when U.S. doctors could not diagnose her in time.

The group traveled to Tanzania to learn more about this disease, eradicated from the United States more than 50 years ago, but still killing millions of Africans each year.

Most of the victims are children...Brought into clinics by parents...waiting for an official diagnosis of what they already know.

One father was questioned as he was standing in line if he thought his son had malaria. Speaking through a translator, the man said yes.

Not all of the children in the malaria ward will survive.

Experts estimate 2-3 million African children under the age of 5 die of malaria every year. The disease is preventable with the use of bednets and treatable with new drugs. But bednets and drugs cost money that Africa doesn't have.

Several countries, including the United States, are contributing to the cause but malaria advocates say more needs to be done.

"I just can't understand why we would allow children to die because we can't get a dollar's worth of drugs to them. Is a child in Africa not worth the price of a cup of coffee?" asks Louis DeGama, of Global Health Advocates.

But Africans aren't just asking for help, they're finding they're own solutions, as we found throughout our 10 days travelling through Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar.

Over the next few weeks Action News Five will bring you more of my reports from Tanzania, with more on what's being done about the African malaria epidemic and how you can help.