Text 4897, 114 rader
Skriven 2007-06-27 23:31:00 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0706276) for Wed, 2007 Jun 27
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Interview of Mrs. Bush by ABC News, Good Morning America
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For Immediate Release Office of the First Lady June 27, 2007

Interview of Mrs. Bush by ABC News, Good Morning America Via Satellite



Q -- (in progress) -- President Bush, of course, has called to double
funding for AIDS relief in the next five years, to $30 million. That's a
move that even impressed his critics, and it can't come too soon: Last year
alone, AIDS killed 2.1 million Africans, leaving 12 million orphans.
African children are also the biggest victims of malaria, which kills a
million people each year. I spoke to Mrs. Bush just minutes ago from
Maputo, Mozambique:

Good morning, Mrs. Bush, and thank you for joining us this morning. So,
you're in Africa, you're fighting two of the biggest killers on the
continent. The numbers are staggering for AIDS and malaria. This is your
third trip. What gives --

MRS. BUSH: And malaria.

Q Yes, and malaria. What gives you the hope that there can be a difference
down there?

MRS. BUSH: Well, I really do think we can make a difference. We know we can
eradicate malaria. It's happened in a lot of places in the world, including
the United States; we used to have malaria. And malaria is the number one
killer in both of the countries I've been to so far, Senegal and
Mozambique, where I am now. But we know that Malaria -- because we know
what causes it, and it's a mosquito and a mosquito bite. We know that if
people protect themselves from bites by sleeping under an
insecticide-treated bed net and then use careful spraying of insecticides,
that we really can eradicate it.

Will it be difficult? Sure, and especially in the very rural parts of
Mozambique and these other countries in Africa where it's difficult to get
there and difficult to do the education that's needed for people to know
what to do to protect themselves.

Q One child every 30 seconds killed by malaria. Just such a tough
statistic, even to hear.

MRS. BUSH: That's right.

Q The big solution that's being pushed right now is spraying an
insecticide. DDT has such a bad name -- what do you tell people to make
them confident that it's safe to use?

MRS. BUSH: Well, this will not be like DDT was used in the United States
earlier, before it was banned there. This is a very safe and limited
spraying, inside-only, against the walls of houses, to kill mosquitoes.
It's not going to be used in a big agricultural way like it was in the
United States. And we know -- it seems to be really the only insecticide
that really can be used to eradicate these mosquitoes and malaria.

Q Especially when you know that --

MRS. BUSH: And one of the reasons --

Q Please, go ahead. I'm sorry, First Lady, go ahead.

MRS. BUSH: That's all right. One of the reasons that we were able to
eradicate malaria in the United States was because of the use of DDT around
1949 were our last cases.

Q One of the problems with malaria, of course, is that the nets with
insecticide can be effective, but you have to use them properly so the
spraying is effective without depending on how people use it, it's done for
them. Another thing that you're giving people down there to help fight AIDS
is the care-giver kit -- the care-giver kit from World Vision -- and it has
all of these different materials in it that can help people who are
struggling. Tell me a little bit about it, because I have a kit in front of
me.

MRS. BUSH: That's right. Tomorrow when I'm in Zambia, these kits, these
care kits will be distributed by World Vision. World Vision has shipped
them to Zambia and they'll help distribute them. People in the United
States put these kits together, and I think people that want to know if
there's a way they can help might be interested. These kits are just filled
with supplies. They have things like flashlights and Vaseline to keep your
skin protected, and latex gloves for sanitary reasons, and a lot of other
things that people might need here and not ever be able to really buy for
themselves.

Q Well, we know that this is your third trip. You're trying to help people
with solutions to these two terrible problems, malaria and AIDS, and you're
bringing your daughter, Jenna, who has a book coming out, trying to spread
awareness; a family trip this time.

MRS. BUSH: It is a family trip. And I was just telling Jenna last night how
happy I am to have her on this trip. It really makes the trip a lot more
fun for me. She left part of the events that I was doing today and went to
see a UNICEF project. She did volunteer for UNICEF in Central and South
America and she's particularly interested in that. And her book that will
come out this fall, the proceeds will go to UNICEF, which is, many people
know, is the United Nations Children's Fund.

Q That's right. Mrs. Bush, thank you so much for taking the time to speak
with us from Africa. Good luck with the mission and be safe with your
daughter. We'll see you when you get back. Thank you again.

MRS. BUSH: Thanks so much, Chris.

END
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