Introduced through BUY-A-NET Malaria Prevention Group, worldwide petition aimed at Google to recognize World Malaria Day

Kingston, Canada-April 7, 2009 BUY-A-NET Malaria Prevention Group (www.buyanet.ca) today announced the "World Malaria Day" worldwide petition(http://www.PetitionOnline.com/BUYANET/petition.html) urging Google to recognize World Malaria Day, April 25th, on its search engine.

"The world community has made dramatic strides in malaria control, but much more needs to be done to ensure that all of Africa has access to critical and life saving interventions such as bed nets by the end of 2010. Google is the world's pre-eminent search engine and is well positioned to raise awareness and the profile of World Malaria Day. Google has customized their search engine home page for other noteworthy days, such as Earth Day. With this petition, citizens worldwide are calling upon Google to do the same for World Malaria Day," said Debra Lefebvre, RN, MPA, Founder, BUY-A-NET Malaria Prevention Group (www.buyanet.ca).

Lefebvre continued, "World Malaria Day, April 25th annually, was established by the World Health Organization in March 2008. This international day helps to raise awareness of malaria, a disease which kills one million people, affects up to 500 million people annually, and costs African nations $12 billion each year due to lost productivity and health care costs. World Malaria Day serves as a reminder that as a global community, all people have a responsibility to stop malaria and save lives. World Malaria Day deserves the same recognition as other days acknowledged by Google."

Malaria is the number one killer of children in Africa, taking the life of one child every thirty seconds. It is a highly preventable, 100% treatable disease that kills a child every 30 seconds. Malaria is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito and can easily be prevented with the proper use of a $6.00 insecticide-treated bed net.

Launched in 2004 and recognized as one of Canada's leading malaria fighting organizations, BUY-A-NET Malaria Prevention Group is Canada's first citizen-driven charitable organization that seeks to prevent deaths from malaria in Africa, one country at a time. The nation of Uganda was chosen as the first target country of the campaign, whose slogan - 6 Bucks, BUY-A-NET, Save a life - provides advocacy and awareness about malaria, as well as raises much needed funds for the procurement of long-lasting, insecticide treated bed nets and anti-malaria medicine. In partnership with community-based groups, the nets are distributed free of charge, one village at a time. To date, BUY-A-NET has protected over 250,000 people with bed nets. A donation of $6.00 will purchase a long lasting insecticide treated net and for a donation of $350.00, an entire African village can be netted.

For more information on BUY-A-NET, please visit www.buyanet.ca