[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6493]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING AFRICA MALARIA DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 27, 2006

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
Africa Malaria Day and express my support and admiration for the 
determined public health officials, NGOs, clinicians and communities 
that are working to defeat this preventable disease that takes its 
greatest toll on the pregnant women and children of Africa.
  Each year, 300-500 million people in Africa contract malaria. One to 
three million Africans will unnecessarily die, Every thirty seconds an 
African child under the age of five dies. Nearly four percent of all 
maternal deaths annually are the result of malaria. The battle against 
malaria is ranked as the second highest global disease burden in 
Africa.
  Despite these tragic statistics, there is great hope for beating the 
disease and reducing the human cost it inflicts. Through contributions 
and collaborations of the public and private sectors, great strides 
have been made in the fight against malaria. Insecticide treated nets 
have been distributed to the vulnerable populations in pilot projects. 
Another project sprayed residual insecticides inside houses to repel 
mosquitoes from places where people sleep. Successful trials of a 
pediatric vaccine are being carried out, with the hope of a widely 
accessible vaccine available in 2010. Without the dedication of both 
governments and independent organizations, these amazing advances would 
not have been possible.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in calling attention to the plight of 
millions of families across the African continent, on this 2006 Africa 
Malaria Day, who needlessly get sick and become incapacitated missing 
school and work and in the worst cases die. The U.S. has rightly taken 
on a global leadership role in providing the financial resources and 
the scientific research to minimize malaria's heavy burden. We must 
continue to support those working to fight this disease and those 
millions whose lives can be immeasurably improved by ending malaria's 
costly human toll.

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