[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 58 (Thursday, April 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                AMERICA MUST CONTINUE TO LEAD THE FIGHT

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                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 22, 2010

  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues that 
April 25th is World Malaria Day. On this day, global health advocates 
around the world will be raising awareness about malaria, and the fight 
against this deadly disease.
  Malaria is an acute and often fatal disease transmitted to humans by 
mosquitoes. The World Health Organization estimates that annually, 
there are approximately 250 million cases of malaria and nearly 1 
million deaths, primarily among children in Africa under five.
  Malaria is highly preventable and treatable with existing tools, 
including insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor residual spraying of 
insecticides, and anti-malaria drugs. Through the President's Malaria 
Initiative, contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and 
Malaria, and other investments, the United States has played a 
prominent role in the global effort to fight this deadly disease.
  This effort is already showing impressive results, but ensuring that 
available anti-malaria tools reach all of the people who need them will 
require greater dedication of resources from the U.S. and our partners. 
Furthermore, drug and insecticide resistance mean that today's tools 
are likely to lose their efficacy over time. Therefore, it is critical 
to invest in research on new tools, including drugs, insecticides, 
diagnostics, and, eventually, a malaria vaccine.
  The past several years have seen remarkable gains against malaria. 
Securing and expanding these gains will require continued U.S. 
leadership and investment.

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