Supporting the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day.

Supporting the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day. Whereas April 25 of each year is recognized internationally as World Malaria Day; Whereas malaria is a leading cause of death and disease in many developing countries, with nearly 1/2 Whereas, at of the end of 2021, there were an estimated 247,000,000 malaria cases in 84 endemic countries and 619,000 deaths from malaria; Whereas young children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to, and disproportionately affected by, malaria, with children younger than 5 years of age accounting for 76 percent of malaria deaths each year; Whereas, between 2019 and 2021, an estimated additional 13,400,000 cases of malaria were attributed to disruptions during that period of the COVID19 pandemic; Whereas malaria was once a leading cause of death in the United States; Whereas fighting malaria is in the national interest of the United States because reducing the risk of malaria protects members of the Armed Forces and other people of the United States serving overseas in malaria-endemic regions, and reducing malaria deaths helps to lower risks of instability in less developed countries; Whereas the support of the United States for efforts to fight malaria (1) is in the diplomatic and moral interests of the United States; (2) generates goodwill toward the United States; and (3) 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, between 2000 and 2021, global investments made in malaria intervention programs averted an estimated 2,000,000,000 malaria cases and 11,700,000 malaria deaths; Whereas the Government of the United States has played a leading role in the recent progress made toward reducing the global burden of malaria, particularly through the Presidents Malaria Initiative and the contribution of the United States to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Whereas, in fiscal year 2021, the Presidents Malaria Initiative protected nearly 100,000,000 individuals by providing them with insecticide-treated bednets, more than 21,000,000 individuals by providing them with indoor insecticide spraying, more than 8,000,000 children by providing them with seasonal preventive treatments, and more than 5,000,000 women by providing them with preventive treatments in pregnancy; Whereas the United States is the largest donor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and every $1 contributed by the United States leverages an additional $2 from other donors, as required by law; and Whereas the Government of the United States is pursuing a comprehensive approach to ending malaria deaths through the Presidents Malaria Initiative and the United States Agency for International Development, 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: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate (1) supports the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day; (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 Presidents Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; (4) commends the efforts and achievements of endemic countries in preventing and treating malaria at home, with locally driven programs; (5) welcomes ongoing public-private partnerships to research and develop more effective and affordable tools for malaria prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination; (6) 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 (7) supports efforts to reduce malaria case incidence and malaria mortality rates by not less than 90 percent by 2030; (8) 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 (9) encourages other members of the international community to sustain and increase their support for, and financial contributions to, efforts to combat malaria worldwide.

Summary: This resolution supports World Malaria Day, recognizes the importance of reducing malaria in sub-Saharan Africa and globally, and commends progress in doing so. The resolution welcomes public-private partnerships to develop more effective and affordable tools for malaria surveillance, diagnostics, treatment, and prevention, and supports continued U.S. leadership in working with countries to respond to this illness.