“Invariably people say I am too hard…you see there is a right way and a wrong way to do things and the right way doesn’t have a shortcut; the wrong way will always have shortcuts. I become a bit impatient and erratic when things are not done well, so I always strive to see things done the correct way.”By Sharmain GraingerNovember 6 was several years ago set aside to commemorate Malaria Day in the Americas.Keith Moore is a ‘Special Person’The intent of this day is to promote awareness and recognise efforts that have been made and those that are still being made to reduce the prevalence of malaria – a mosquito-borne infectious disease.Malaria is deemed by many heath sectors in the Americas, Guyana’s included, as perhaps the vilest of mosquito-transmitted diseases, since it has the potential of claiming an untold amount of lives if left unattended.The World Health Organisation (WHO) has long established that malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. But the early symptoms of the disease such as fever, headache, chills and vomiting could be mild, and therefore at times difficult to recognise, even by health workers trained to do so.Based on information from the WHO, in 2015 there were 95 countries and territories that had ongoing malaria transmission, thus resulting in a situation whereby 3.2 billion people – almost half of the world’s population – were at risk of malaria.If not treated within 24 hours, Plasmodium Falciparum or P. Falciparum, one of the known parasites that cause malaria in human beings, can progress to severe illness often leading to death.But malaria is very preventable and curable, according to the WHO.Moreover, the local health sector has not left this disease to roam rampant. In fact, measures are continually being derived to improve the malaria fight. But the number of cases being reported today by the Vector Control Services Unit of the Ministry of Public Health is still far too many.However, Guyana will be well on its way to true success in the malaria fight when endemic areas – Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine, and to a lesser extent 10 – report no more than 30 cases per month.Contemplating his next move in the fight against the deadly scourge.This is the hope of someone who has been in the forefront of the malaria fight for many years – Mr. Keith Moore.According to Moore, currently cases are reported in the thousands.Although Moore was a mere young man with an unclear plan for his future when he first joined the Health Ministry’s malaria programme many years ago, today he is a septuagenarian with vast experience and immense hope that Guyana will one day be able to eradicate malaria altogether.It is not at all surprising that because of his in-depth knowledge of combating the disease, the health sector is even today seeking after his expertise.In fact it is for this very reason that Moore is being recognised as a ‘Special Person’ on an auspicious day set aside to recognise the gains made in the fight against malaria.EARLY LIFEBut he had no idea life would have taken him down this path.Keith Moore was born and raised in New Amsterdam, Berbice, to parents Paul AlbertRaising awareness about malaria.Britton and Elsie Rita Moore on February 8, 1944. He was the eldest of three children and remembers vividly his mother being a nurse at the Berbice Hospital and his father a Police Sergeant, who was later elevated to the position of Deputy Commissioner.His early schooling days were at the All Saints Anglican School, where he wrote the Government County Scholarship Examination and qualified for a place at the Berbice Educational Institute.On completion of school, he embraced the idea of securing a Government job, but found that was near impossible since he hadn’t yet attained the then required age of 21.Moore had to resort to a job as a checker on the Berbice wharf which his uncle, a Harbour Master at the Berbice Transport and Harbours Department, was able to secure for him. It was there he remained until about the age of 20 when he opted to travel to Linden for work. Moore recalled that in those days there were lots of jobs there.But venturing to Linden was short-lived because of disturbances that started to occur. He remembered houses being torched and people being killed. In fact, the explosion of the Son Chapman (a river vessel that plied the Demerara River), a tragedy that claimed the lives of 43 people, will never escape his mind. Life in Linden simply wasn’t for him and so he headed back to Berbice.MALARIA WORKIn the company of other malaria workers.However, at the age of 21 he again dared to leave the serenity of the Ancient County and this time headed to the capital city of Georgetown to pursue employment. His options were the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defence Force or Ministry of Health. He opted for the latter and with good reason too.“I was thinking that the Army and Police