White House Holds Summit on Malaria Today
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2006
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov
WASHINGTON D.C. - At the White House Summit on Malaria today, President Bush announced Benin, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Zambia, Kenya, Liberia, and Ethiopia as new focus countries for the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI)-an historic $1.2 billion, five-year initiative to control malaria in 15 of the highest-burden countries in Africa. They join Tanzania, Uganda, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal as focus countries for the PMI.
PMI will significantly increase resources to the focus countries, providing the most advanced and effective prevention and treatment interventions available. Malaria kills over 1 million people each year, with the vast majority of victims being young children in Africa.
The President and Mrs. Bush hosted the Summit in Washington, D.C., to discuss and highlight measures for controlling malaria and jump-start an ambitious public-private effort to control malaria with leading international experts, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based and service organizations, multilateral institutions, corporations, foundations, and industry leaders.
The PMI is an interagency initiative led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as key partners. The goal of the PMI is to cut malaria-related deaths by 50 percent in 15 focus countries in Africa by supporting a comprehensive malaria control effort led by in-country programs.
This 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. These steps include indoor residual spraying of households with insecticides; the distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets to families; intermittent, presumptive treatment of pregnant women with antimalarials; and the roll-out of new, lifesaving, artemesinin-combination therapy to treat patients with malaria.
By the end of November 2006, PMI was supporting activities to benefit over 6 million Africans in the initial three countries of Tanzania, Angola, and Uganda. A series of highly effective programs are scheduled for launch over the next several months that will benefit millions more.
"Malaria is preventable and treatable, yet it is a major killer throughout Africa," said Rear Admiral R. Timothy Ziemer (U.S. Navy, retired), U.S. Malaria Coordinator. "The President and Mrs. Bush are committed to saving millions of lives in Africa and challenge the private sector to join the U.S. government in combating malaria."
Focus countries were chosen by an inter-agency group based on the burden of malaria, sound malaria control practices and interest on the part of the host country, and other factors. Assessment missions to identify possible program elements are already underway.
For more information on the President's Malaria Initiative, visit
www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/malaria/.
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