Dr. Harald Nusser and Dr. Roger Bate Also Honored
at Malaria No More's Annual Champions Breakfast
Washington D.C., February 13, 2018 - Today, Malaria No More (MNM) honored USAID Administrator Mark Green and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), at its annual Champions Breakfast celebrating leaders in government, public policy, and the private sector working to ensure that no child dies from a mosquito bite.
Dr. Harald Nusser, head of Novartis Social Business, and Dr. Roger Bate, visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, also were recognized. These leaders, along with the rest of the malaria community, have been instrumental in helping save 6.8 million lives from malaria since 2000.
In remarks at the event, Administrator Green voiced his support for efforts to combat malaria. "Malaria isn't just a global health issue, it robs countries of their vitality, of their strength. We must look to the day we end malaria," said Green.
The United States is the global leader in efforts to fight malaria thanks to historic bipartisan support from Congress and successive Administrations, and through proven, accountable investments in the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The results of these investments have saved millions of lives and helped strengthen global health security and country health systems.
"I am honored to receive this award and remain committed to bolstering America's leadership in the fight against malaria and other preventable and treatable diseases. While we've made important progress, we must continue to work to eliminate these diseases. I applaud Malaria No More for their work and I'll continue to support robust funding to save lives and prevent malaria's spread," said Senator Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In addition to the 6.8 million lives saved from malaria, U.S. investments have helped prevent an estimated 1.3 billion cases of malaria, and decreased malaria deaths by more than 60% since 2000. The Global Fund, which contributes approximately one-third of its funding to malaria, has saved a total of 22 million lives from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, since its inception in 2002.
"U.S. commitment has been a game-changer in the global fight to end malaria," said Martin Edlund, CEO of Malaria No More. "Sustained commitment from the United States will be essential so that countries can build on the historic health and economic gains made over the last decade and a half."
The World Health Organization's annual World Malaria Report, released in November 2017, shows significant challenges remain and that the tremendous progress-to-date is at risk. A child still dies every two minutes from this preventable and treatable disease, and for the first time in more than a decade, the report showed a stalled decline at 445,000 malaria deaths and a worrisome increase in malaria cases, up over 5 million from 2015 to 216 million cases in 2016.
Dr. Roger Bate, a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, was recognized for his decades of research and writing on malaria policy.
"I am delighted to receive this award," said Dr. Bate. "Tremendous gains have been made over the past decade in fighting malaria and the outlook for many countries is excellent. However, significant challenges remain. We must maintain financial support for successful programs and combat drug resistance in Asia. Innovators must stay focused on new products and donors must continue to support these critical efforts. Governments must redouble efforts to prevent the sale and distribution of substandard and falsified medications. Otherwise the gains of the last decade will be quickly reversed."
Dr. Harald Nusser, head of Novartis Social Business, was recognized for Novartis' continued critical investments in research and development.
"On behalf of Novartis, I am honored to receive Malaria No More's private sector excellence award. This is a testimony to our company's long-standing commitment to malaria elimination. While huge gains have been made, with elimination in sight for many countries, this is not the case for all. Increased funding at all levels is vital, but we need to ensure we are making best use of the tools we have today. This means we need to continue to research and develop new antimalarials while making current treatments much more accessible." said Dr. Nusser.
"Malaria No More is grateful to champions in Congress and the Administration who continue to see the value and impact in investing in malaria control and elimination efforts to save, protect and improve the lives of millions of people worldwide," said Josh Blumenfeld, Managing Directly, Global Policy and Advocacy at Malaria No More.
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For more information or interview requests, contact Michal Fishman at +1 504-220-2792 or Michal.Fishman@MalariaNoMore.org.
