[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 58 (Thursday, April 22, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2600-S2601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING GOALS AND IDEALS OF WORLD MALARIA DAY
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 499, submitted
earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 499) supporting the goals and ideals
of World Malaria Day, and reaffirming United States
leadership and support for efforts to combat malaria as a
critical component of the President's Global Health
Initiative.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 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 that any
statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 499) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 499
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 completely
preventable and treatable;
Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, 35
countries, the majority of
[[Page S2601]]
them in sub-Saharan Africa, account for 98 percent of global
malaria deaths;
Whereas young children and pregnant women are particularly
vulnerable and disproportionately affected by malaria;
Whereas malaria greatly affects child health, with
estimates that children under the age of 5 account for 85
percent of malaria deaths each year;
Whereas malaria poses great risks to maternal health,
causing complications during delivery, anemia, and low birth
weights, with estimates 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 heightened national, regional, and international
efforts to prevent and treat malaria over recent years have
made measurable progress and have helped save hundreds of
thousands of lives;
Whereas the World Health Organization's World Malaria
Report 2009 reports that ``[i]n countries that have achieved
high coverage of their populations with bed nets and
treatment programmes, recorded cases and deaths due to
malaria have fallen by 50%'';
Whereas the World Health Organization's World Malaria
Report 2009 further states that ``[t]here is evidence from
Sao Tome and Principe, Zanzibar and Zambia that large
decreases in malaria cases and deaths have been mirrored by
steep declines in all-cause deaths among children less than 5
years of age'';
Whereas continued national, regional, and international
investment is critical to continue to reduce malaria deaths
and to prevent backsliding in those areas where progress has
been made;
Whereas the United States Government has played a major
leadership role in the recent progress made toward reducing
the global burden of malaria, particularly through the
President's Malaria Initiative and the United States
contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis,
and Malaria;
Whereas President Barack Obama said on World Malaria Day in
2009, ``It is time to redouble our efforts to rid the world
of a disease that does not have to take lives. Together, we
have made great strides in addressing this preventable and
treatable disease. . . Together, we can build on this
progress against malaria, and address a broad range of global
health threats by investing in health systems, and continuing
our work with partners to deliver highly effective prevention
and treatment measures.'';
Whereas, under the new Global Health Initiative (GHI)
launched by President Obama, the United States Government is
pursuing a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to
global health, focused on helping partner countries to
achieve major improvements in overall health outcomes through
transformational advances in access to, and the quality of,
healthcare services in resource-poor settings; and
Whereas recognizing the burden of malaria on many partner
countries, GHI has set the target for 2015 of reducing the
burden of malaria by 50 percent for 450,000,000 people,
representing 70 percent of the at-risk population in Africa:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) supports the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day,
including the achievable target of ending malaria deaths by
2015;
(2) calls upon the people of the United States to observe
World Malaria Day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and
activities to raise awareness and support to save the lives
of those affected by malaria;
(3) recognizes the importance of reducing malaria
prevalence and deaths to improve overall child and maternal
health, especially in sub-Saharan Africa;
(4) commends the recent progress made toward reducing
global malaria deaths and prevalence, particularly through
the efforts of the President's Malaria Initiative and the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria;
(5) welcomes ongoing public-private partnerships to
research and develop more effective and affordable tools for
malaria diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination;
(6) 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);
(7) supports continued leadership and investment by the
United States in bilateral and multilateral efforts to combat
malaria as a critical part of the President's Global Health
Initiative; and
(8) encourages other members of the international community
to sustain and scale up their support and financial
contributions for efforts worldwide to combat malaria.
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