[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 71 (Thursday, May 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E794]]
        COMMEMORATING WORLD MALARIA DAY AND THE WORK OF JHPIEGO

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                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 1, 2008

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize World Malaria 
Day.
  Every 30 seconds, a child dies from malaria. More than 1 million 
people die of malaria every year, mostly infants, young children and 
pregnant women and most of them in Africa. Approximately 40 percent of 
the world's population, mostly those living in the world's poorest 
countries, is at risk of malaria. Every year, more than 500 million 
people become severely ill with malaria. Since the 1970s, significant 
investments have demonstrated that malaria control is working, and 
given hope for preventing the 1 million deaths caused by malaria each 
year. With the advent of new tactics, elimination and, ultimately, 
eradication of malaria may be possible. Because malaria is a massive 
global scourge and a medically complex disease, the pathway to 
eradication is a long one. Achieving eradication will depend on 
carefully coordinated, balanced efforts to build upon malaria control 
and elimination programs. Building a pathway to eradication will take 
time, but it is possible if all stakeholders collaborate today to 
prevent malaria deaths in Africa and elsewhere. Now is the time to 
begin charting the course.
  Organizations like Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, 
reach across borders to fight a disease that has no borders. Jhpiego is 
working to combat the devastating effects of malaria by bringing 
innovative approaches and putting research to practice to improve the 
health of women and families throughout the world. For example, in 
Nigeria, it is preparing community volunteers in remote areas to extend 
malaria services to pregnant women who are not in contact with a formal 
healthcare system. The volunteers are trained to educate pregnant women 
on the steps necessary to prevent malaria. Additionally, the workers 
also distribute preventative medicine and insecticide-treated bednets. 
Once rolled out to full scale, this community based intervention will 
help break down some of the barriers to high-quality healthcare for the 
world's most vulnerable populations.
  Jhpiego is a leader in developing innovations that break down the 
barriers and build more sustainable local health care systems globally. 
Jhpiego works in 12 African countries to support program implementation 
for malaria in pregnancy (MIP) prevention and case management.

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