[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 102 (Tuesday, July 10, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4832-S4833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF WORLD MALARIA DAY
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar 433, S. Res.
429.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 429) supporting the goals and ideals
of World Malaria Day.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
[[Page S4833]]
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Wicker amendment at the desk be agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 2507) was agreed to, as follows:
On page 4, line 14, strike ``strongly supports'' and insert
``welcomes''.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I know of no further debate. I urge
passage of the resolution.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the resolution.
The resolution (S. Res. 429), as amended, was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 429
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 fighting malaria is in the national security
interest of the United States Government, as reducing the
risk of malaria protects members of the Armed Forces of the
United States serving overseas in malaria endemic regions,
and reducing malaria deaths helps to promote stability in
less developed countries;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 35 countries, the majority of which are in sub-
Saharan Africa, account for 98 percent of global malaria
deaths;
Whereas young children and pregnant women are particularly
vulnerable to and disproportionately affected by malaria;
Whereas malaria greatly affects child health, as children
under the age of 5 account for an estimated 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 between 75,000 and
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 helped save hundreds of
thousands of lives;
Whereas the World Malaria Report 2011 by the World Health
Organization states that in 2011, approximately 50 percent of
households in sub-Saharan Africa owned at least 1
insecticide-treated mosquito net (referred to in this
preamble as an ``ITN''), and household surveys indicated that
96 percent of people with access to an ITN within a household
actually used the ITN;
Whereas, in 2010, a total of 185,000,000 people were
protected by indoor residual spraying (referred to in this
preamble as ``IRS'');
Whereas the World Malaria Report 2011 further states that
malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25 percent
globally, and 33 percent in Africa alone, since 2000;
Whereas the World Malaria Report 2011 further states that
out of 99 countries with ongoing malaria transmissions, 43
countries recorded decreases of more than 50 percent in the
number of malaria cases between 2000 and 2010, and 8 other
countries recorded decreases of more than 25 percent;
Whereas continued national, regional, and international
investment in efforts to eliminate malaria, including
prevention and treatment efforts and the development of a
vaccine to immunize children from the malaria parasite, is
critical in order to continue to reduce malaria deaths,
prevent backsliding in areas where progress has been made,
and equip the United States and the global community with the
tools necessary to fight malaria and other global health
threats;
Whereas the United States Government has played a leading
role in the recent progress made toward reducing the global
burden of malaria, particularly through the President's
Malaria Initiative (referred to in this preamble as ``PMI'')
and the contribution of the United States to the Global Fund
to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria;
Whereas the United States Government is pursuing a
comprehensive approach to ending malaria deaths through PMI,
the United States Agency for International Development, the
National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense, and the
private sector focused on helping partner countries to
achieve major improvements in overall health outcomes through
advances in access to, and the quality of, healthcare
services in resource-poor settings;and
Whereas PMI, recognizing the burden of malaria on many
partner countries, has set a target of reducing the burden of
malaria by 50 percent for 450,000,000 people, representing 70
percent of the at-risk population in Africa, by 2015: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) supports the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day,
including the target of ending malaria deaths by 2015;
(2) recognizes the importance of reducing malaria
prevalence and deaths to improve overall child and maternal
health, especially in sub-Saharan Africa;
(3) 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;
(4) welcomes ongoing public-private partnerships to
research and develop more effective and affordable tools for
malaria diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination;
(5) recognizes the goals 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;122 Stat. 2918);
(6) supports continued leadership by the United States in
bilateral, multilateral, and private sector efforts to combat
malaria as a critical part of the President's Global Health
Initiative;and
(7) encourages other members of the international community
to sustain and scale up their support for and financial
contributions to efforts worldwide to combat malaria.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and
that any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the
Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________