11 December 2006
Reducing Malaria in Africa Focus of U.S. Summit
Announcement likely soon on countries that will receive new funding
Washington -– Experts from the United States and Africa will meet December 14 in Washington to develop a blueprint for controlling malaria, a disease that kills a child in Africa every 30 seconds.
The "Challenge of Malaria in Africa" summit, hosted by President Bush and first lady Laura Bush, will include experts and representatives of the United States government, multilateral institutions, the private sector, several African countries and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Margaret Chan, new director-general of the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO), is among those scheduled to attend.
The summit seeks to spur more public-private partnerships for the control of malaria and to send a message about the need for governments, businesses, and private citizens to join together to control this preventable and treatable disease. At least 1 million infants and children under age 5 in sub-Saharan Africa die each year from the mosquito-borne blood infection disease, according to U.S. government estimates.
In June 2005, President Bush announced a five-year $1.2 billion effort that joins the United States with the private sector to reduce by half the incidence of malaria in 15 of the most-affected countries. These countries account for up to 90 percent of all malaria deaths worldwide, with 3,000 children dying each day, according to the White House.
As part of that effort, known as the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), the United States already has developed programs in Tanzania, Angola and Uganda. In June, the United States partnered with Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda and Senegal to provide long-lasting mosquito nets, anti-malarial drugs and mosquito-spraying programs. (See related article.)
Additional countries to receive PMI funding will be announced at the summit, organizers say.
"Thanks to the new malaria initiative, many thousands of families will be spared the tragedy of losing a loved one," said Karen Hughes, under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs.
"This is a positive way for the United States to partner with NGOs and other countries to send the message that Americans care deeply about the well-being of people in other lands," Hughes said.
In Zanzibar, Tanzania, where malaria is the leading cause of death, more than 230,000 people have been given insecticide-treated bed nets in recent years. As a result, malaria cases dropped 87 percent in five major hospitals on Zanzibar Island. The number of malaria cases on Pemba Island during the first nine months of 2006 dropped from 12,531 to 1,570 over the same period in 2005. The cost of one bed net is $10.
A few generations ago, malaria was widely present in the southern part of the United States but, after a sustained public effort, the United States was declared malaria-free, summit organizers said.
Malaria has enormous economic impact, experts say. Malaria weakens workers and puts demands on hospitals. When people are unable to work, economies suffer and countries' become less secure.
The summit also will highlight many of the organizations already at work at the multilateral and community levels to coordinate efforts to fight malaria.
One of those is Malaria No More, a group including the American Red Cross, UNICEF, and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Malaria No More is mobilizing corporations, foundations, faith-based groups, community groups and individuals to support a comprehensive approach to fighting malaria, and to help coordinate those efforts with governments, and multilateral and international organizations.
In addition to the White House, the summit partners are the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department.
The full text of a press release announcing the summit is available on the White House Web site.
For more information on U.S. policies, see Health.
Additional information about Malaria No More is available on that organization's Web site.
