Keynote speech by USAID’s Dr. Raj Shah
April 30th, 2014, Washington, D.C. – Congressional leaders joined members of the malaria community to commemorate World Malaria Day at a reception hosted by Malaria No More Tuesday evening.
The event at the Cannon House Office Building highlighted the key partnerships in the fight against malaria, including the Unites States government, endemic countries, scientific community and private and nonprofit sectors. This spirit of collaboration in bringing an end to malaria extends across party lines, illustrated by the bi-partisan co-chairs of the Senate and House Caucuses on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, and the fact that the President’s Malaria Initiative – an integral driver of progress in the malaria fight – was founded by President George W. Bush and has been scaled-up significantly by President Barack Obama.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. The World Health Organization’s 2013 World Malaria Report estimates that nearly 630,000 people die of malaria annually. Through an expanded global effort to combat the disease, tremendous progress has been made – with an estimated 3.3 million lives saved globally and a 54% decrease in the rate of child malaria deaths since 2000 in Africa, where 90% of malaria deaths occur. Despite progress, malaria still kills a child every minute.
The event featured a keynote speech by USAID Administrator Dr. Raj Shah. “Dedicating resources to malaria control and elimination is an investment in children around the world,” said Dr. Shah. “Ending malaria would mean protecting families across the globe, as pregnant women and children under five are among the most vulnerable groups to fall victim to this entirely preventable disease.”
The co-chairs of the Congressional Caucuses, Sen. Christopher Coons (D-DE), Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) were also in attendance and made remarks recognizing US Government contributions to the global effort to defeat malaria.
Malaria was eliminated in the U.S. in 1951, yet 97 countries experience ongoing malaria transmission. Key to eradicating the disease at a global level is maintaining and growing funding for malaria research and elimination efforts - since 1930, 75 resurgences of malaria have been recorded. Nearly all of the resurgences are linked to the scaling back of programs. In addition, eliminating malaria would unlock massive financial power within Africa, which is home to several of the world’s fastest-growing economies. A recent Accenture study places the global economic benefit of eliminating malaria at more than $208 billion dollars.
Malaria No More is a New York-based nonprofit focused on fighting malaria deaths by engaging leaders, rallying the public and delivering life-saving tools and education to families across Africa.
