Supporting the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day.

Supporting the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day. 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 preventable and treatable; Whereas fighting malaria is in the national security interest of the United States, as reducing the risk of malaria protects members of the United States Armed Forces serving overseas in malaria-endemic regions, and reducing malaria deaths helps to lower risks of instability in less developed countries; Whereas support for efforts to fight malaria is in the diplomatic and moral interests of the United States, as that support generates goodwill toward the United States and highlights the values of the people of the United States through the work of governmental, nongovernmental, and faith-based organizations of the United States; Whereas efforts to fight malaria are in the long-term economic interest of the United States because those efforts help developing countries identify at-risk populations, provide better health services, produce healthier and more productive workforces, advance economic development, and promote stronger trading partners; Whereas 90 percent of all malaria deaths in the world are in sub-Saharan Africa; 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 accounted for an estimated 77 percent of malaria deaths in 2012; Whereas malaria poses great risks to maternal and neonatal health, causing complications during delivery, anemia, and low birth weights, with estimates that malaria causes approximately 10,000 cases maternal deaths and over 200,000 infant deaths annually in Africa; Whereas heightened national, regional, and international efforts to prevent and treat malaria during recent years have made significant progress and helped save hundreds of thousands of lives; Whereas the World Malaria Report 2013 by the World Health Organization states that in 2012, approximately 54 percent of households in sub-Saharan Africa owned at least one insecticide-treated mosquito net, and household surveys indicated that 86 percent of people used an insecticide-treated mosquito net if one was available in the household; Whereas the World Malaria Report 2013 further states that between 2000 and 2012, malaria mortality rates decreased by 45 percent around the world and by 45 percent in the African Region of the World Health Organization, and an estimated 3,300,000 lives were spared from malaria globally, 90 percent of which were children under five in sub-Saharan Africa. Whereas the World Malaria Report 2013 further states that out of 97 countries with ongoing transmission of malaria in 2013, 12 countries are classified as being in the pre-elimination phase of malaria control, 7 countries are classified as being in the elimination phase, and 7 countries are classified as being in the prevention of introduction phase; Whereas, according to the World Malaria Report 2013, there were 207,000,000 cases of malaria globally in 2012, resulting in an estimated 627,000 deaths; Whereas continued national, regional, and international investment in efforts to eliminate malaria, including prevention and treatment efforts, the development of a vaccine to immunize children from the malaria parasite, and advancements in insecticides, are 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 eliminate 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 (PMI) and the contribution of the United States to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; Whereas, in May 2011, an independent, external evaluation, prepared through the Global Health Technical Assistance Project, examining 6 objectives of the President's Malaria Initiative, found the President's Malaria Initiative to be a successful, well-led component of the Global Health Initiative that has earned and deserves the task of sustaining and expanding the United States Government's response to global malaria control efforts Whereas the United States Government is pursuing a comprehensive approach to ending malaria deaths through the President's Malaria Initiative, which is led by the United States Agency for International Development and implemented with assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of State, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and private sector entities; Whereas, in 2014, the Presidents Malaria Initiative Report found that, in 2013, the PMI alone had protected more than 21,000,000 residents by spraying over 5,000,000 houses with insecticides, procured more than 40,000,000 long-lasting ITNs, procured more than 10,000,000 sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine treatments for intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) in pregnant women, trained more than 16,000 health workers in IPTp, procured more than 48,000,000 treatments of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and over 51,000,000 malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), and trained more than 61,000 health workers in treatment of malaria with ACTs and more than 26,000 health workers in laboratory diagnosis of malaria; Whereas the President's Malaria Initiative focuses on helping partner countries achieve major improvements in overall health outcomes through improved access to, and quality of, healthcare services in locations with limited resources; and Whereas the President's Malaria Initiative, 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 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 morbidity, mortality, and prevalence, particularly through the efforts of the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; (4) supports ongoing public-private partnerships to research and develop more effective and affordable tools for malaria diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination; (5) recognizes the goals, priorities, and authorities to combat malaria set forth in the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (Public Law 110293); (6) supports continued leadership by the United States in bilateral, multilateral, and private sector efforts to combat malaria and to work with developing countries to create long-term strategies to increase ownership over malaria programs; and (7) encourages other members of the international community to sustain and increase their support for and financial contributions to efforts to combat malaria worldwide.

Summary: Supports the ideals of World Malaria Day, including the World Health Assembly's target to reduce malaria incidence rates by more than 75% by 2015. Recognizes the importance of reducing malaria to improve child and maternal health, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Commends the progress made toward reducing global malaria prevalence and deaths, particularly through the efforts of the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Supports public-private partnerships to develop more effective and affordable tools for malaria diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination. 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. Supports continued U.S. leadership in bilateral, multilateral, and private sector efforts to combat malaria and to work with developing countries to create long-term strategies to increase ownership over malaria programs. Encourages members of the international community to sustain and scale up their support for efforts to combat malaria.