Sanna Nyassi twice survived malaria en route to MLS

Gambia international and Montreal Impact forward Sanna Nyassi overcame more obstacles than most to reach Major League Soccer, including twice waging a life-threatening battle with malaria.

The disease is also something he has in common with his twin brother Sainey, a midfielder with the league’s New England Revolution. “I got sick with it (when I was 16). It was very bad,” the 23-year-old native of Bwiam, Gambia, said to the Montreal Gazette of the disease that has gripped the African continent for decades.

Sanna contracted malaria a second time when he was 20 and with the accompanying symptoms - fever, chills, headache and vomiting - he thought he was going to die. But after being hospitalized and treated, he recovered in a month. “It’s a very serious illness in my country and the fight (against it) continues,” Sanna said Tuesday. Thanks to the work of the foundation set up by Bill Gates a big difference is being made.”

The World Health Organization reports 3.3 billion people risk getting malaria annually and those living in the poorest countries are most vulnerable. In 2010, 90 per cent of malaria-related deaths occurred in Africa, killing almost 600,000 children; the majority under age 5. The disease is caused by a parasite that is spread to humans after being bitten by infected mosquitoes. It can be prevented with the use of bed nets and treated successfully with quick medical attention.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and wife Melinda, through their foundation, have contributed more than $1.3 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria since 2002, including an additional $750 million donated in January.

Sanna’s brother, Sainey, was hospitalized with malaria in late October 2010 after contracting the disease after a mosquito bite in Burkina Faso while playing with the Gambia national team in the Africa Cup of Nations.

He was hospitalized after returning to play one game with the Revolution against the New York Red Bulls. Since his last battle with the disease, Sanna has been active with MLS W.O.R.K.S., the league’s community outreach initiative aimed at social and health issues affecting young people. It supports a number of programs including the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets, a global campaign to prevent malaria deaths with the purchase, distribution and education on the proper use of mosquito bed nets.

Sanna received the league’s humanitarian award for his efforts for the month of April 2010. He has been in the league since 2009 after he and his brother drew interest among teams with their play in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Gambia finished second to Mexico in Group C with a 2-0-1 record and the third game, a 2-1 win over Portugal, was played at Olympic Stadium where Sainey was a starter and Sanna was a substitute.

“My brother made a big impression. He ended up going to New England right away,” said Sanna. “It took me a little longer to get MLS.”

Sanna followed his brother to New England on a tryout basis, but ended up being loaned to the Seattle Sounders for the latter part of the 2008 season in the North American Soccer League and prior to Seattle’s joining MLS in 2009.

He played two seasons with Seattle before becoming available in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft where, immediately after being selected by the Vancouver Whitecaps, he was dealt to the Colorado Rapids. He scored five goals in 26 games, 17 as starter with the Rapids last season, including a hat trick and his first three goals with his new team against New York on July 20.

The Rapids, who host the Impact on Saturday night in Commerce City, Colo., left Nyassi unprotected in last November’s expansion draft and he was the eighth of 10 players selected by Montreal [Impact].

“I like everything about being here, the players and the organization. It’s all very good,” said Sanna, who has played all but one of the team’s 12 games to date and has one goal. “We have a team that really wants to work hard. I know we’re going to get better as the season continues,” he said.

The Nyassis are one of two sets of twins in MLS. San Diego natives Gabriel and Michael Farfan, midfielders and also 23, are with Philadelphia. Sanna and Sainey, who speak to one another almost daily, have only played against one another once in MLS and that was last July 23 when the Rapids and Revolution battled to a 2-2 draw.

Sanna played all 90 minutes, while Sainey contributed 22 minutes off the bench. Sainey has yet to play a game this season because of a nagging hamstring strain. The Impact and New England will meet for the first of three regular-season games at Saputo Stadium July 18, a date Sanna looks forward to.

“It would be fun for us to start a game against each other,” he said. “It would be one we wouldn’t forget.”