[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 103 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 103
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 5, 2009
Received
May 21, 2009
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Supporting the goals and ideals of Malaria Awareness Day.
Whereas April 25 of each year is recognized internationally as Africa Malaria
Day and in the United States as Malaria Awareness Day;
Whereas despite malaria being completely preventable and treatable and the fact
that malaria was eliminated from the United States over 50 years ago,
more
than 40 percent of the world's population is still at risk of contracting
malaria;
Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, nearly 1,000,000 people die
from malaria each year, the vast majority of whom are children under the
age of 5 in Africa;
Whereas malaria greatly affects child health, roughly every 30 seconds a child
dies from malaria, and more than 3,000 children die from malaria every
day;
Whereas malaria poses great risks to maternal health, causing complications
during delivery, anemia, and low birth weights, with estimates by the
Center for Disease Control and Prevention that malaria infection causes
400,000 cases of severe maternal anemia and from 75,000 to 200,000
infant deaths annually in sub-Saharan Africa;
Whereas HIV infection increases the risk and severity of malarial illness, and
malaria increases the viral load in HIV-positive people, which can lead
to increased transmission of HIV and more rapid disease progression,
with substantial public health implications;
Whereas in malarial regions, many people are co-infected with malaria and one or
more of the neglected tropical diseases, such as hookworm and
schistosomiasis, which causes a pronounced exacerbation of anemia and
several adverse health consequences;
Whereas the malnutrition and consequent chronic illness that result from
childhood malaria leads to increased absenteeism in school and
perpetuates cycles of poverty;
Whereas an estimated 90 percent of deaths from malaria occur in Africa and the
Roll Back Malaria Partnership estimates that malaria costs African
countries $12,000,000,000 in lost economic productivity each year;
Whereas the World Health Organization estimates that malaria accounts for 40
percent of health care expenditures in high-burden countries,
demonstrating that effective, long-term malaria control is inextricably
linked to the strength of health systems;
Whereas heightened efforts over recent years to prevent and treat malaria are
currently saving lives;
Whereas progress and funding to control malaria has increased ten-fold since
2000, in large part due, to funding under the President's Malaria
Initiative (a United States Government initiative designed to cut
malaria deaths in half in target countries in sub-Saharan Africa), the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the World Bank, and
new financing by other donors;
Whereas the President's Malaria Initiative has purchased almost 13,000,000
artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT), protected over 17,000,000
people through spraying campaigns, and distributed over 6,000,000
insecticide-treated bed nets, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria has distributed 7,000,000 bed nets to protect
families from malaria and provided 74,000,000 malaria patients with
ACTs, and the World Bank's Booster Program is scheduled to commit
approximately $500,000,000 in International Development Association
funds for malaria control in Africa;
Whereas public and private partners are developing effective and affordable
drugs to treat malaria, with more than 23 types of malaria vaccines in
development;
Whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vector
control, or the prevention of malaria transmission via anopheles
mosquitoes, which includes a combination of methods such as insecticide-
treated bed nets, indoor residual spraying, and source reduction (larval
control), has been shown to reduce severe morbidity and mortality due to
malaria in endemic regions;
Whereas the impact of malaria efforts have been documented in numerous regions,
such as in Zanzibar, where malaria prevalence among children shrank from
20 percent to less than 1 percent between 2005 and 2007, and in Rwanda,
where malaria cases and deaths appeared to decline rapidly after a
large-scale distribution of bed nets and malaria treatments in 2006; and
Whereas a malaria-free future will rely on consistent international, national
and local leadership, and a comprehensive approach addressing the range
of health, development, and economic challenges facing developing
countries: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) supports the goals and ideals of Malaria Awareness Day,
including the achievable target of ending malaria deaths by
2015;
(2) calls upon the people of the United States to observe
this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities
to raise awareness and support to save the lives of those
affected by malaria;
(3) reaffirms the goals and commitments to combat malaria
outlined in the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States
Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
Reauthorization Act of 2008;
(4) commends the progress made during the last year by
anti-malaria programs including the President's Malaria
Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria;
(5) recognizes the work of the Roll Back Malaria
Partnership and affirms United States support for and
contribution toward the achievement of the following targets:
(A) Achieve universal coverage for all populations
at risk with locally appropriate interventions for
prevention and case management by 2010 and sustain
universal coverage until local field research suggests
that coverage can gradually be targeted to high-risk
areas and seasons only, without risk of a generalized
resurgence.
(B) Reduce global malaria cases from 2000 levels by
50 percent in 2010 and by 75 percent in 2015.
(C) End malaria deaths by 2015.
(6) encourages fellow donor nations to maintain their
support and honor their funding commitments for Malaria
programs worldwide;
(7) urges greater integration between United States and
international health programs that target malaria, HIV,
Tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases, and basic child and
maternal health; and
(8) commits to continued United States leadership in
efforts to reduce global malaria deaths, especially through
strengthening health care systems that can deliver effective,
safe, high-quality interventions when and where they are
needed, and assure access to reliable health information and
effective disease surveillance.
Passed the House of Representatives May 4, 2009.
Attest:
LORRAINE C. MILLER,
Clerk.