III 111th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 499 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 22, 2010 Mr. Feingold (for himself, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Specter, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Sanders, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Inhofe) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day, and reaffirming United States leadership and support for efforts to combat malaria as a critical component of the President’s Global Health Initiative.

Whereas April 25th of each year is recognized internationally as World Malaria Day; Whereas malaria is a leading cause of death and disease in many developing countries, despite being completely preventable and treatable; Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, 35 countries, the majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa, account for 98 percent of global malaria deaths; Whereas young children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable and disproportionately affected by malaria; Whereas malaria greatly affects child health, with estimates that children under the age of 5 account for 85 percent of malaria deaths each year; Whereas malaria poses great risks to maternal health, causing complications during delivery, anemia, and low birth weights, with estimates 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 heightened national, regional, and international efforts to prevent and treat malaria over recent years have made measurable progress and have helped save hundreds of thousands of lives; Whereas the World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report 2009 reports that [i]n countries that have achieved high coverage of their populations with bed nets and treatment programmes, recorded cases and deaths due to malaria have fallen by 50%; Whereas the World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report 2009 further states that [t]here is evidence from Sao Tome and Principe, Zanzibar and Zambia that large decreases in malaria cases and deaths have been mirrored by steep declines in all-cause deaths among children less than 5 years of age; Whereas continued national, regional, and international investment is critical to continue to reduce malaria deaths and to prevent backsliding in those areas where progress has been made; Whereas the United States Government has played a major leadership role in the recent progress made toward reducing the global burden of malaria, particularly through the President’s Malaria Initiative and the United States contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; Whereas President Barack Obama said on World Malaria Day in 2009, It is time to redouble our efforts to rid the world of a disease that does not have to take lives. Together, we have made great strides in addressing this preventable and treatable disease… Together, we can build on this progress against malaria, and address a broad range of global health threats by investing in health systems, and continuing our work with partners to deliver highly effective prevention and treatment measures.; Whereas, under the new Global Health Initiative (GHI) launched by President Obama, the United States Government is pursuing a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to global health, focused on helping partner countries to achieve major improvements in overall health outcomes through transformational advances in access to, and the quality of, healthcare services in resource-poor settings; and Whereas recognizing the burden of malaria on many partner countries, GHI has set the target for 2015 of reducing the burden of malaria by 50 percent for 450,000,000 people, representing 70 percent of the at-risk population in Africa: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)supports the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day, including the achievable target of ending malaria deaths by 2015; (2)calls upon the people of the United States to observe World Malaria Day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to raise awareness and support to save the lives of those affected by malaria; (3)recognizes the importance of reducing malaria prevalence and deaths to improve overall child and maternal health, especially in sub-Saharan Africa; (4)commends the recent progress made toward reducing global malaria deaths and prevalence, particularly through the efforts of the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; (5)welcomes ongoing public-private partnerships to research and develop more effective and affordable tools for malaria diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination; (6)reaffirms the goals and commitments to combat malaria in the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–293); (7)supports continued leadership and investment by the United States in bilateral and multilateral efforts to combat malaria as a critical part of the President’s Global Health Initiative; and (8)encourages other members of the international community to sustain and scale up their support and financial contributions for efforts worldwide to combat malaria.