Football legend David Beckham has lent his support in the fight against malaria with the launch of a global campaign under the slogan “Malaria must die-so millions can live.”
The British legend stars in a short film by a British charity, Malaria No More UK, to highlight the need to fight the world’s oldest disease.
In the film, Beckham is caged in a glass box and swamped by mosquitoes.
The stunt is a reference to the way malaria is transmitted through the bite of the blood-sucking insects, Reuters reports.
“These insects are annoying in places like the U.K. but in many parts of the world a mosquito bite is terrifying and deadly,” Beckham said in a statement.
“This is totally unacceptable,” said Beckham, a member of Malaria No More UK’s leadership council and a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF.
The campaign is aimed at pressuring leaders of countries in the Commonwealth to adopt policies aimed at eliminating the disease.
According to the World Health Organization, in 2016, 216 million malaria cases were recorded worldwide, with 445,000 death cases.
Increased prevention and control measures have led to a 29% reduction in malaria mortality rates globally since 2010.
Sub-Saharan Africa continues to carry a high share of the global malaria burden. In 2015, the region was home to 90% of malaria cases and 92% of malaria deaths.
