U.S. President's Malaria Initiative

At least 1 million infants and children under age 5 in sub-Saharan Africa die each year from malaria – one approximately every 30 seconds. This is greater than the entire population of San Francisco and twice the population of Washington, D.C.

In June 2005, President Bush launched the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI). He pledged to increase U.S. malaria funding by more than $1.2 billion over five years to reduce deaths due to malaria by 50 percent in 15 African countries and challenged other donor countries, private foundations, and corporations to help reduce the suffering and death caused by this disease.

PMI is a collaborative U.S. Government effort led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the Department of State, the White House, and others.

The PMI goal will be achieved by reaching 85 percent of the most vulnerable groups – children under 5 years of age and pregnant women – with proven and effective prevention and treatment measures. PMI uses a comprehensive approach to prevent and treat malaria, supporting four key areas – indoor spraying of homes with insecticides, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, lifesaving antimalarial drugs, and treatment to prevent malaria in pregnant women.

In Mozambique malaria is endemic in 99 percent of the country and is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. It is responsible for over 40
percent of outpatient visits and 30 percent of hospital deaths. Approximately 60 percent of all children admitted to the hospital are admitted for severe malaria.

In support of the national malaria control program and in coordination with all development partners, including nongovernmental organizations, faith-based organizations, and the private sector, the PMI backs four key intervention strategies to prevent and treat malaria:

• Spraying with insecticides in homes (“Indoor residual spraying,” or IRS)
• Insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs)
• Lifesaving drugs: Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs)
• Prevention of malaria in pregnant women (“Intermittent preventive treatment,” or IPT)
  

• Support of the National Malaria Control Program's IRS campaign in Zambezia Province, which will shield more than 1 million people from malaria
  Distribution of long-lasting ITNs trough antenatal care clinics
• Training and supportive supervision of health care workers in the use of new malaria diagnostic tests, as well as the new antimalarials, and IPT for pregnant women
• Support a nation-wide survey of malaria indicators which will provide the baseline from which progress due to PMI interventions will be determined.