[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 214 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 214

 Supporting the goals to protect United States military personnel from 
                                malaria.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 11, 2019

    Mr. Panetta (for himself and Mr. Mast) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and 
    in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Energy and 
Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting the goals to protect United States military personnel from 
                                malaria.

Whereas fighting malaria is in the national interest of the United States;
Whereas reducing the incidence of malaria protects United States servicemembers 
        deployed to malaria-endemic regions;
Whereas the ``World malaria report 2018'' by the World Health Organization 
        states that, in 2017, approximately 435,000 people died of malaria;
Whereas, in 2018, 87 countries and areas had ongoing malaria transmissions, 
        including areas of Africa, the Middle East, and South Africa;
Whereas the Department of Defense reports that a total of 60 servicemembers were 
        diagnosed with malaria in 2016, the highest number since 2011;
Whereas incidents of malaria were diagnosed at or reported from 19 different 
        medical facilities in the United States, Afghanistan, Qatar, Germany, 
        Djibouti, Japan, and South Korea in 2017;
Whereas the Department of Defense recognizes malaria as the number one 
        infectious disease threat to United States military forces;
Whereas United States support for efforts to fight malaria is in the foreign 
        policy and humanitarian interests of 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 that are on the frontlines of the malaria battle globally;
Whereas United States support for efforts to fight malaria and other infectious 
        diseases advance the United States National Security Strategy, and is a 
        key tool to enhance operational readiness, interoperability, and 
        security cooperation, protecting Americans at home and abroad;
Whereas the United States Government has played a leading role in the recent 
        progress made toward reducing the global burden of malaria and other 
        infectious diseases, particularly through bilateral, multilateral, 
        international, and civil society partners;
Whereas, since 1893, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) has 
        played a leadership role protecting United States servicemembers from 
        the world's most pervasive infectious diseases, including malaria, HIV/
        AIDS, Ebola, and dengue;
Whereas WRAIR Center for Infectious Disease Research has been responsible for 
        developing critical Food and Drug Administration-approved medicines, 
        vaccines, drugs, and other interventions used to prevent malaria, 
        Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis A, adenovirus, and other infectious 
        diseases in deployed servicemembers;
Whereas the WRAIR Malaria Vaccine and Experimental Therapeutics Branches have 
        emerged as the Department of Defense's premier effort to develop 
        vaccines and drugs to protect the warfighter from malaria and other 
        infectious diseases and military health threats;
Whereas WRAIR continues to play a leadership role in the research and 
        development of lifesaving medicines including the recently approved 
        tafenoquine, a radical cure and prophylaxis that protects the warfighter 
        from P vivax relapse, a condition that causes approximately 8.5 million 
        clinical infections per year worldwide;
Whereas WRAIR leads the fight against drug-resistant strains of malaria, 
        developing new treatments that have revolutionized malaria prevention 
        efforts;
Whereas WRAIR's international network of laboratories supports medical diplomacy 
        and fosters United States-host nation collaborations in biomedical 
        research; and
Whereas WRAIR's unique expertise, capabilities, and resources have led to 
        historic clinical trials, testing vaccines to prevent the spread of HIV/
        AIDS, zika, and malaria: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals of researching new interventions to 
        prevent and treat malaria, as it is in the national security, 
        foreign affairs, political, and humanitarian interest of the 
        United States;
            (2) encourages continued leadership by the United States 
        through programs such as the Walter Reed Army Institute of 
        Research to ensure that the health of the Force is not 
        jeopardized by vector-borne diseases; and
            (3) supports sustained or enhanced efforts so that once 
        eliminated in a country, malaria does not return.
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