David Beckham has spoken out about the devastating effects of malaria, saying he cannot imagine what it must be like to lose a child.
The father of three boys, Mr Beckham is expecting a baby girl with his wife Victoria in just a few weeks.
Writing in The Sun newspaper, he said he was backing the Malaria No More campaign, which aims to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015.
He said: “Having a family and expecting a new baby should be a special time to be enjoyed, but in parts of Africa the day-to-day reality is that your wife or one of your children might well catch malaria and there is nothing you can do about it – it must be awful.
“No father anywhere should lose his family to malaria.
“I can’t imagine what it must be like to live with this constant fear for your family, as so many dads will be doing right now. If your child does catch malaria they’ll need life-saving medicine quickly.”
Mr Beckham, who has spent time in Sierra Leone and South Africa as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, as well as holding a role on the Leadership Council with Malaria No More UK, said it was a “privilege” to support the charities who work to protect vulnerable families around the world. “Being a parent is very rewarding but, as mums and dads everywhere know all too well, having kids certainly keeps you on your toes,” he said.
“We’re really lucky to live in a place where we can make sure our kids are well looked after.” Mr Beckham and fashion designer wife Victoria have three sons – Cruz, Romeo, and Brooklyn. LA Galaxy player Mr Beckham said he felt lucky to be able to help raise awareness about the disease which, despite being preventable, during pregnancy, claims the lives of 10,000 pregnant women and 200,000 babies each year. He said: “I’m fortunate that I can do something to help. That’s why I back Malaria No More. “People need to know about the charity’s goal to help end deaths from malaria and that our support is making a difference.”
Last year the charity helped protect more than two million people from the disease in Africa, he said, and in the last 10 years global malaria deaths have dropped by 20 per cent.