[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 7 (Monday, February 25, 2008)]
[Pages 234-236]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Tour of Meru District Hospital in Arusha, Tanzania

February 18, 2008

    Habari zenu. We have just toured the hospital here, which is on the 
forefront of Tanzania's fight against malaria. I want to thank you, doc, 
for leading the tour, and thank you for your compassion. I appreciate 
the commissioner welcoming us to the district. I also want to thank 
Minister Mwakyusa for joining us here in Arusha. I'm grateful for the 
members of the diplomatic corps who've joined us.

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    During the visit at this hospital, we met pregnant women who will 
receive insecticide-treated bed nets. We witnessed a pediatric ward and 
observed children being diagnosed and treated. We saw how an historic 
partnership is saving lives across the continent of Africa.
    For years, malaria has been a health crisis in sub-Saharan Africa. 
The disease keeps sick workers home, schoolyards quiet, and communities 
in mourning. The suffering caused by malaria is needless, and every 
death caused by malaria is unacceptable. It is unacceptable to people 
here in Africa, who see their families devastated and their economies 
crippled. It is unacceptable to people in the United States, who believe 
every human life has value and that the power to save lives comes with 
the moral obligation to use it.
    In 2005, I announced that the United States would work to save lives 
through our malaria initiative. Under this 5-year, $1.2 billion program, 
we're working with 15 African countries to cut malaria-related deaths by 
half.
    Our strategy to achieve this goal is straightforward. First, the 
initiative supports indoor residual spraying to keep deadly mosquitoes 
at bay. Here in Tanzania, spraying campaigns have reached hundreds of 
thousands of homes and have protected more than a million people.
    Second, the initiative supports treatment for those who are most 
vulnerable to malaria, especially pregnant women. Here in Tanzania, more 
than 2,400 health workers have been trained to provide specialized 
treatment that prevents malaria in expectant mothers.
    Third, the initiative provides life-saving drugs. Here in Tanzania, 
the program has supported more than 1 million courses of treatment and 
has trained more than 5,000 health workers in how to use them.
    Fourth, the initiative supports the distribution of insecticide-
treated bed nets, and Laura and I are about to distribute some of those 
bed nets. This is one of the simplest technologies imaginable, but it's 
also one of the most effective. Here in Tanzania, we're working with the 
Government and partners such as the Global Fund to provide bed net 
vouchers for infants and pregnant mothers. Women can use these vouchers 
to buy bed nets at local shops at a huge discount. So far, an estimated 
5 million vouchers have been distributed through these programs.
    Today I'm pleased to announce new steps in the bed net campaign. 
Within the next 6 months, the United States and Tanzania, in partnership 
with the World Bank and the Global Fund, will begin distributing 5.2 
million free bed nets. This ambitious nationwide program will provide 
enough nets to protect every child between the ages of 1 and 5 in 
Tanzania.
    The bed net campaign is supported by Tanzanian manufacturers, 
including A to Z Textiles, which we will visit later today. So as this 
campaign protects women and children from malaria, it also boasts--
boosts local economies. It helps develop a culture of bed net use that 
will be sustained long after relief programs have ended.
    Over the past 2 years, we've applied our strategy here in Tanzania, 
and we're seeing results. In June 2006 at the district hospital in 
Muleba, more than 50 people died because of malaria. In June 2007, after 
a spraying campaign supported by our malaria initiative, the number of 
deaths had dropped to five. In Zanzibar, the percentage of infants 
infected with malaria has dropped from about 20 percent to less than 1 
percent.
    The campaign to fight malaria has the support of government and 
private citizens alike. In the United States, schoolchildren have raised 
money to send bed nets to Africa. Houses of worship have sent their 
prayers and their faithful, compassionate men and women who travel here 
to confront the suffering and heal the sick.
    Tanzanian citizens are stepping forward. In one area, residents 
launched a campaign called ``Kataa Malaria''; for those who don't speak 
Swahili, it means ``Reject Malaria.'' [Laughter] As part of the 
campaign, workers went door-to-door to teach people how to use bed nets. 
They launched TV and radio ads. They spoke in mosques about malaria 
prevention and treatment. And their efforts are working.
    This is a campaign of compassion. This is a practical way to help 
save lives. It's in the interests of the United States to save lives, 
and it's in the interests of the Tanzanian Government to put forth an 
effective strategy.

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Our interests are combined, and our interests are now making a 
significant effort.
    And so on behalf of the United States of America, we say, God bless 
you. And to the Tanzanian Government we say, thank you for your 
efficient and hard work. And so it's been an honor to be with you. 
Asante.

Note: The President spoke at 10:52 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
Aziz Msuya, district medical officer, Meru District Hospital; and 
Minister of Health and Social Welfare David Homeli Mwakyusa of Tanzania.