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Skriven 2006-06-08 23:34:34 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0606086) for Thu, 2006 Jun 8
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Mrs. Bush's Remarks on the President's Malaria Initiative
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For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
June 8, 2006

Mrs. Bush's Remarks on the President's Malaria Initiative
The National Press Center
Washington, D.C.



9:49 A.M. EDT

MRS. BUSH: Thank you, Ambassador Tobias, for your kind introduction, and
for the good work that you're doing at USAID, as well as our nation's first
Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance. I also want to acknowledge the
President of the World Bank Group, Mr. Paul Wolfowitz, who is here with us
today. Thank you very much for joining us. Congressman Chris Smith, U.S.
Representative from New Jersey is here. Congressman, thank you for joining
us. Congressman Smith has been an advocate for each one of these very
important humanitarian efforts of the United States government. Thank you
so much, Chris.

I think Ambassador Jendayi Frazier has not gotten here yet. And Dr. Hill,
thank you very much. Dr. Hill is the Assistant Administrator for Global
Health, Acting Malaria Coordinator. Thank you, Dr. Hill.

And I also want to recognize the children from the St. Catherine Laboure
School's Cultural Heritage Choir. I can see you over there dressed in your
Cultural Heritage Costumes, and I wish I could have heard you sing. But I
think you performed beautifully.

Today, I'm delighted to join all of you, distinguished ambassadors,
business leaders, researchers, representatives of NGOs and government
officials at a hopeful moment in our fight against malaria.

One year ago, my husband called on developed countries, private
foundations, and volunteer organizations to partner with African countries
to dramatically reduce the suffering and death caused by this disease. To
help meet that challenge, he announced the President's Malaria Initiative
-- a five year, $1.2 billion program to combat malaria in 15 of the
hardest-hit nations.

Just one year into the initiative, we've seen a swift response, from
private foundations, as well as the Corporate Alliance on Malaria in
Africa, private companies that have dedicated millions of dollars to
prevention and treatment. By the end of September, through early PMI
partnerships with the first three focus countries, aid from the American
people will have reached about six million Africans.

These initial successes are encouraging, but much work remains. Malaria
kills 3,000 children in Africa every day -- and claims 1.2 million lives
every year. The disease is especially devastating for those who are already
vulnerable: children, pregnant women, and people infected with HIV/AIDS.

Defeating malaria is an urgent calling. Adding to the urgency is the fact
that malaria is largely preventable. Now in the United States, malaria is
virtually unheard of. But in the past, it was a problem here. For many
years, they say, ambassadors to the United States from foreign countries
received hardship pay to serve in Washington because of the heat in the
summer and because of the outbreaks of malaria.

Over the decades, science and technology advanced. Malaria was eradicated
in the United States. The challenge now is to make sure this progress
benefits people still at risk of malaria. And using new science and
technology in partnership with the first three PMI focus countries --
Angola, Tanzania, and Uganda -- PMI treatment and prevention resources are
already saving lives.

In Tanzania, PMI distributed 130,000 long-lasting, insecticide-treated
nets, doubling the coverage for pregnant women and young children in the
Zanzibar area. In Angola -- where almost 90 percent of the population is at
risk of contracting malaria -- PMI resources supported a spraying program
that has protected more than 500,000 people.

In Uganda -- where almost 100,000 people a year die from malaria -- PMI is
distributing more than 200,000 free bed nets and 300,000 doses of
life-saving malaria drugs to children and pregnant women in refugee camps.
And beginning this month, PMI resources will support a spraying program
that will protect half-a-million Ugandans against mosquitoes.

Today I'm delighted to announce that the United States will partner with
four more focus countries: Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal. PMI
will help provide these countries with long-lasting mosquito nets and
anti-malarial drugs, and help them conduct mosquito-spraying procedures.
The partnership will also include education and evaluation programs, to
make sure what we're doing is effective and that it reaches the largest
number of people.

Medicines, mosquito-spraying programs, and nets are vital to our campaign
against malaria. Yet we're also aware that our aid must help build African
anti-malaria efforts that are sustainable. So another important part of our
malaria initiative -- and other aid programs, like the President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief -- is eliminating the conditions that allow
these diseases to flourish.

One is the lack of doctors and nurses to meet these crises. As part of our
AIDS effort, PEPFAR resources are being used to train community health
workers in African cities and villages. Many more are needed, and I
encourage everyone here to contribute to this effort. With every new health
care worker, a long-term, sustainable health care infrastructure is being
built -- one that can also curb diseases like avian flu, tuberculosis and
malaria.

To end malaria, more people must be educated -- because life-saving nets,
sprays and medicines work better when people know how to use them. And too
few people know how malaria is transmitted. Every country has the
obligation to educate its citizens, which is why every country must also
improve literacy. This is especially important for women, so that they can
make wise choices that will keep them, and their children, healthy and
safe.

The campaign against malaria is a broad and challenging undertaking,
requiring cooperation among many different countries, agencies and
programs. To lead this effort, the President created the position of a
Malaria Coordinator. Today, I'm privileged to introduce our first
coordinator, Admiral Timothy Ziemer. Admiral Ziemer. (Applause.) With his
distinguished 31-year career in the Navy, and his work as Executive
Director of World Relief, Admiral Ziemer brings both efficiency and
compassion to this position, and I know he'll do a terrific job.
Congratulations, Admiral.

And congratulations to all of you. Because of your dedication to defeating
malaria, people throughout Africa are being kept in good health. And for
the first time, millions of people in malaria-devastated countries have
hope -- people like a little Ugandan boy named Komakec.

In March, USAID workers met this boy's mother, a young woman who had
already lost two sons to malaria before they reached the age of three. When
her third son was born, she named him Komakec -- which in Acholi means "I
am unlucky." Little Komakec, too, eventually became infected, but unlike
his brothers, he was brought to a health clinic in time to receive
life-saving treatment.

When he left the clinic, he and his mother brought home a long-lasting,
insecticide-treated net they received through PMI. Thanks to the net,
Komakec is healthy, and his mother now knows that children in their village
are lucky.

Throughout Africa, millions of mothers can now celebrate healthy children.
Thank you for your commitment to them, and to defeating this epidemic. We
look forward to working with you, to our future partnerships, and to ending
malaria.

Thank you all very much.

END 9:58 A.M. EDT
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http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/06/20060608-6.html

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