[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 426 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 426

         Supporting the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 29, 2014

    Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Brown, Mr. 
Cochran, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Kirk) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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 United 
        States Armed Forces 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 
        interests 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, nongovernmental, 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 90 percent of all malaria deaths in the world are in sub-Saharan Africa;
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 
        accounted for an estimated 77 percent of malaria deaths in 2012;
Whereas malaria poses great risks to maternal and neonatal health, causing 
        complications during delivery, anemia, and low birth weights, with 
        estimates that malaria causes approximately 10,000 cases maternal deaths 
        and over 200,000 infant deaths annually in 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 2013 by the World Health Organization states 
        that in 2012, approximately 54 percent of households in sub-Saharan 
        Africa owned at least one insecticide-treated mosquito net, and 
        household surveys indicated that 86 percent of people used an 
        insecticide-treated mosquito net if one was available in the household;
Whereas the World Malaria Report 2013 further states that between 2000 and 2012, 
        malaria mortality rates decreased by 45 percent around the world and by 
        45 percent in the African Region of the World Health Organization, and 
        an estimated 3,300,000 lives were spared from malaria globally, 90 
        percent of which were children under five in sub-Saharan Africa.
Whereas the World Malaria Report 2013 further states that out of 97 countries 
        with ongoing transmission of malaria in 2013, 12 countries are 
        classified as being in the pre-elimination phase of malaria control, 7 
        countries are classified as being in the elimination phase, and 7 
        countries are classified as being in the prevention of introduction 
        phase;
Whereas, according to the World Malaria Report 2013, there were 207,000,000 
        cases of malaria globally in 2012, resulting in an estimated 627,000 
        deaths;
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 eliminate 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 (PMI) 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, in 2014, the President's Malaria Initiative Report found that, in 2013, 
        the PMI alone had protected more than 21,000,000 residents by spraying 
        over 5,000,000 houses with insecticides, procured more than 40,000,000 
        long-lasting ITNs, procured more than 10,000,000 sulfadoxine-
        pyrimethamine treatments for intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) in 
        pregnant women, trained more than 16,000 health workers in IPTp, 
        procured more than 48,000,000 treatments of artemisinin-based 
        combination therapy (ACT) and over 51,000,000 malaria rapid diagnostic 
        tests (RDTs), and trained more than 61,000 health workers in treatment 
        of malaria with ACTs and more than 26,000 health workers in laboratory 
        diagnosis of malaria;
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, That the Senate--
            (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) supports 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);
            (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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