[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 22, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4598-S4599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF WORLD MALARIA DAY

  Mr. BEGICH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 18, submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent 
resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 18) supporting the 
     goals and ideals of World Malaria Day, and reaffirming United 
     States leadership and support for efforts to combat malaria.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, this Saturday, I will join individuals 
and organizations around the world in marking World Malaria Day. This 
day is an opportunity to celebrate the progress that has been made by 
the international community in raising awareness of an invisible killer 
and the need to significantly reduce malaria deaths. Over the last 
decade, there has been a remarkable scaling up of efforts to prevent 
and treat this disease. In some places, such as the island of Zanzibar 
or the country of Rwanda, malaria prevalence has dropped significantly 
in just a few years. These success stories are a testament to the kind 
of positive difference we can make with robust and targeted health 
assistance.
  I am especially proud of the leadership of the United States in this 
regard, particularly through the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI). 
Since its launch in 2005, PMI has purchased almost 13 million 
artemisinin-based combination therapies, protected over 17 million 
people through spraying campaigns, and distributed over 6 million 
insecticide-treated bed nets. In addition, the United States has worked 
multilaterally with international partners to fight this disease, 
through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The 
Global Fund has provided roughly 74 million malaria patients with 
artemisinin-based combination therapies and distributed almost 70 
million bed nets.
  In addition to commemorating how far we have come, World Malaria Day 
is also an opportunity to recognize how far we still need to go. This 
disease is completely preventable and treatable, and yet more than 40 
percent of the world's population is still at risk of contracting 
malaria and nearly 1 million people, the majority of them children, die 
from malaria each year. According to the World Health Organization, a 
child still dies every 30 seconds from malaria. Nearly 90 percent of 
those deaths occur in Africa. Moreover, malaria often coexists with HIV 
and neglected tropical diseases, and it causes great risks to efforts 
to promote child and maternal health.
  In light of those realities, we must recommit to sustained 
international, national, and local leadership to end malaria deaths. I 
am pleased that Congress last year committed over the next 5 years to 
combat malaria in the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde U.S. Global 
Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria Act. We must now deliver on 
that commitment, including maintaining our support for multilateral 
efforts of the Global Fund. At the same time, we cannot afford to 
address malaria in isolation; our efforts must be part of a 
comprehensive, integrated and sustainable approach to global health. In 
particular, I believe we need to invest more in strengthening local 
health systems that can deliver effective, safe, high-quality 
interventions when and where they are needed and ensure access to 
reliable health information and effective disease surveillance.
  I commend the thousands of Americans and the many organizations that 
have taken up this cause and continue to work to fight malaria and save 
lives.

[[Page S4599]]

On Saturday, we should join them in committing to work toward a 
malaria-free future. To that end and in support of the World Malaria 
Day, I have introduced a resolution with Senators Isakson, Bingaman, 
Durbin, Cardin, Wicker, Brownback, and Cantwell reaffirming U.S. 
leadership for efforts to combat malaria. I hope our colleagues will 
support this resolution and, more importantly, join us over the coming 
months and years in working toward this year's theme: ``counting 
malaria out.''
  Mr. BEGICH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the 
motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening 
action or debate, and any statements related to the measure be printed 
in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 18) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 18

       Whereas April 25 of each year is recognized internationally 
     as World Malaria Day and in the United States as Malaria 
     Awareness Day;
       Whereas, despite malaria being completely preventable and 
     treatable and the fact that malaria was eliminated in the 
     United States over 50 years ago, more than 40 percent of the 
     world's population is still at risk of contracting malaria;
       Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, nearly 
     1,000,000 people die from malaria each year, the vast 
     majority of whom are children under the age of 5 in Africa;
       Whereas malaria greatly affects child health, with a child 
     dying from malaria roughly every 30 seconds and nearly 3,000 
     children dying from malaria every day;
       Whereas malaria poses great risks to maternal health, 
     causing complications during delivery, anemia, and low birth 
     weights, with estimates by the Center for Disease Control and 
     Prevention 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 HIV infection increases the risk and severity of 
     malarial illness, and malaria increases the viral load in 
     HIV-positive people, which can lead to increased transmission 
     of HIV and more rapid disease progression, with substantial 
     public health implications;
       Whereas in malarial regions, many people are co-infected 
     with malaria and one or more of the neglected tropical 
     diseases (NTDs) such as hookworm and schistosomiasis, which 
     causes a pronounced exacerbation of anemia and several 
     adverse health consequences;
       Whereas the malnutrition and chronic illness that result 
     from childhood malaria leads to increased absenteeism in 
     school and perpetuates cycles of poverty;
       Whereas an estimated 90 percent of deaths from malaria 
     occur in Africa, and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership 
     estimates that malaria costs countries in Africa 
     $12,000,000,000 in lost economic productivity each year;
       Whereas the World Health Organization estimates that 
     malaria accounts for 40 percent of healthcare expenditures in 
     high-burden countries, demonstrating that effective, long-
     term malaria control is inextricably linked to the strength 
     of health systems;
       Whereas heightened efforts over recent years to prevent and 
     treat malaria are currently saving lives;
       Whereas the progress and funding to control malaria has 
     increased ten-fold since 2000, in large part due to funding 
     under the President's Malaria Initiative (a United States 
     Government initiative designed to cut malaria deaths in half 
     in target countries in sub-Saharan Africa), the Global Fund 
     to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the World Bank, and 
     new financing by other donors;
       Whereas the President's Malaria Initiative has purchased 
     almost 13,000,000 artemisinin-based combination therapies 
     (ACT), protected over 17,000,000 people through spraying 
     campaigns, and distributed over 6,000,000 insecticide-treated 
     bed nets, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and 
     Malaria has distributed 70,000,000 bed nets to protect 
     families from malaria and provided 74,000,000 malaria 
     patients with ACTs, and the World Bank's Booster Program is 
     scheduled to commit approximately $500,000,000 in 
     International Development Association funds for malaria 
     control in Africa;
       Whereas public and private partners are developing 
     effective and affordable drugs to treat malaria, with more 
     than 23 types of malaria vaccines in development;
       Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention, vector control, or the prevention of malaria 
     transmission via anopheles mosquitoes, which includes a 
     combination of methods such as insecticide-treated bed nets, 
     indoor residual spraying, and source reduction (larval 
     control), has been shown to reduce severe morbidity and 
     mortality due to malaria in endemic regions;
       Whereas the impact of malaria efforts have been documented 
     in numerous regions, such as in Zanzibar, where malaria 
     prevalence among children shrank from 20 percent to less than 
     1 percent between 2005 and 2007, and in Rwanda, where malaria 
     cases and deaths appeared to decline rapidly after a large-
     scale distribution of bed nets and malaria treatments in 
     2006; and
       Whereas a malaria-free future will rely on consistent 
     international, national, and local leadership and a 
     comprehensive approach addressing the range of health, 
     development, and economic challenges facing developing 
     countries: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of Malaria Awareness Day, 
     including the achievable target of ending malaria deaths by 
     2015;
       (2) calls upon the people of the United States to observe 
     Malaria Awareness Day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, 
     and activities to raise awareness and support to save the 
     lives of those affected by malaria;
       (3) 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);
       (4) commends the progress made by anti-malaria programs, 
     including the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global 
     Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria;
       (5) reaffirms United States support for and contribution 
     toward the achievement of the targets set by the Roll Back 
     Malaria Partnership Global Malaria Action plan;
       (6) encourages fellow donor nations to maintain their 
     support and honor their funding commitments for malaria 
     programs worldwide;
       (7) urges greater integration of United States and 
     international health programs targeting malaria, HIV/AIDS, 
     tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases, and basic child 
     and maternal health; and
       (8) commits to continued United States leadership in 
     efforts to reduce global malaria deaths, especially through 
     strengthening health care systems that can deliver effective, 
     safe, high-quality interventions when and where they are 
     needed and assure access to reliable health information and 
     effective disease surveillance.

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