[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 35 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 35

         Supporting the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 23, 2013

   Mr. Crenshaw (for himself and Mr. Meeks) submitted the following 
 concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
         Supporting the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day.

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 preventable and treatable;
Whereas fighting malaria is in the national security interest of the United 
        States, as reducing the risk of malaria protects members of the Armed 
        Forces of the United States serving overseas in malaria-endemic regions, 
        and reducing malaria deaths helps to lower risks of instability in less 
        developed countries;
Whereas support for efforts to fight malaria is in the diplomatic and moral 
        interest of the United States, as that support generates goodwill toward 
        the United States and highlights the values of the people of the United 
        States through the work of governmental, non-governmental, and faith-
        based organizations of the United States;
Whereas efforts to fight malaria are in the long-term economic interest of the 
        United States because those efforts help developing countries identify 
        at-risk populations, provide better health services, produce healthier 
        and more productive workforces, advance economic development, and 
        promote stronger trading partners;
Whereas 35 countries, the majority of which are in sub-Saharan Africa, account 
        for 91 percent of malaria deaths in the world;
Whereas young children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to and 
        disproportionately affected by malaria;
Whereas malaria greatly affects child health, as children under the age of 5 
        account for an estimated 86 percent of malaria deaths each year;
Whereas malaria poses great risks to maternal and neonatal health, causing 
        complications during delivery, anemia, and low birth weights, with 
        estimates that malaria infection causes approximately 400,000 cases of 
        severe maternal anemia and between 75,000 and 200,000 infant deaths 
        annually in sub-Saharan Africa;
Whereas heightened national, regional, and international efforts to prevent and 
        treat malaria during recent years have made significant progress and 
        helped save hundreds of thousands of lives;
Whereas the World Malaria Report 2012 by the World Health Organization states 
        that in 2011, approximately 53 percent of households in sub-Saharan 
        Africa owned at least one insecticide-treated mosquito net, and 
        household surveys indicated that 90 percent of people used an 
        insecticide-treated mosquito net if one was available in the household;
Whereas, in 2011, approximately 153,000,000 people were protected by indoor 
        residual spraying;
Whereas the World Malaria Report 2012 further states that between 2000 and 
        2010--

    (1) malaria mortality rates decreased by 26 percent around the world;

    (2) in the African Region of the World Health Organization, malaria 
mortality rates decreased by 33 percent; and

    (3) an estimated 1,100,000 malaria deaths were averted globally, 
primarily as a result of increased interventions;

Whereas the World Malaria Report 2012 further states that out of 99 countries 
        with ongoing transmission of malaria in 2012, 11 countries are 
        classified as being in the pre-elimination phase of malaria control, 10 
        countries are classified as being in the elimination phase, and 5 
        countries are classified as being in the prevention of introduction 
        phase;
Whereas continued national, regional, and international investment in efforts to 
        eliminate malaria, including prevention and treatment efforts, the 
        development of a vaccine to immunize children from the malaria parasite, 
        and advancements in insecticides, are critical in order to continue to 
        reduce malaria deaths, prevent backsliding in areas where progress has 
        been made, and equip the United States and the global community with the 
        tools necessary to fight malaria and other global health threats;
Whereas the United States Government has played a leading role in the recent 
        progress made toward reducing the global burden of malaria, particularly 
        through the President's Malaria Initiative and the contribution of the 
        United States to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and 
        Malaria;
Whereas, in May 2011, an independent, external evaluation, prepared through the 
        Global Health Technical Assistance Project, examining 6 objectives of 
        the President's Malaria Initiative, found the President's Malaria 
        Initiative to be a successful, well-led component of the Global Health 
        Initiative that has ``earned and deserves the task of sustaining and 
        expanding the United States Government's response to global malaria 
        control efforts'';
Whereas the United States Government is pursuing a comprehensive approach to 
        ending malaria deaths through the President's Malaria Initiative, which 
        is led by the United States Agency for International Development and 
        implemented with assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, the Department of State, the Department of Health and Human 
        Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, 
        and private sector entities;
Whereas the President's Malaria Initiative focuses on helping partner countries 
        achieve major improvements in overall health outcomes through improved 
        access to, and quality of, healthcare services in locations with limited 
        resources; and
Whereas the President's Malaria Initiative, recognizing the burden of malaria on 
        many partner countries, has set a target of reducing the burden of 
        malaria by 50 percent for 450,000,000 people, representing 70 percent of 
        the at-risk population in Africa, by 2015: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day, 
        including the target of ending malaria deaths by 2015;
            (2) recognizes the importance of reducing malaria 
        prevalence and deaths to improve overall child and maternal 
        health, especially in sub-Saharan Africa;
            (3) commends the recent progress made toward reducing 
        global malaria morbidity, mortality, and prevalence, 
        particularly through the efforts of the President's Malaria 
        Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and 
        Malaria;
            (4) welcomes ongoing public-private partnerships to 
        research and develop more effective and affordable tools for 
        malaria diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination;
            (5) recognizes the goals, priorities, and authorities to 
        combat malaria set forth 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; 
        122 Stat. 2918);
            (6) supports continued leadership by the United States in 
        bilateral, multilateral, and private sector efforts to combat 
        malaria and to work with developing countries to create long-
        term strategies to increase ownership over malaria programs; 
        and
            (7) encourages other members of the international community 
        to sustain and increase their support for and financial 
        contributions to efforts to combat malaria worldwide.
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