Malaria Initiative

State of the Union Address on Malaria and Africa
President Bush: "We hear the call to take on the challenges of hunger and poverty and disease -- and that is precisely what America is doing. We must continue to fight HIV/AIDS, especially on the continent of Africa. (Applause.) Because you funded our Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the number of people receiving life-saving drugs has grown from 50,000 to more than 800,000 in three short years. I ask you to continue funding our efforts to fight HIV/AIDS. I ask you to provide $1.2 billion over five years so we can combat malaria in 15 African countries. (Applause.)" Full text | Webcast -

Summit on Malaria
President Bush
"One area in which America has a tremendous potential to help is in the fight against malaria. At home, malaria was eliminated decades ago. It is possible to eliminate malaria. In Africa, malaria remains a persistent killer. I think our citizens will be amazed to hear that last year, about a million Africans died of malaria. The vast majority were children under five -- their lives ended by nothing more than a mosquito bite. In some countries, more people die of malaria than HIV/AIDS -- and last week, a new study showed that people who contract malaria become more likely to spread HIV. The burden of malaria costs sub-Saharan Africa an estimated $12 billion a year. And if the disease continues to spread, the cost in lives and lost productivity is going to grow exponentially worse. Now is the time to act." Full text | Video

First Lady Laura Bush
FLOTUS Tours Africa
Mrs. Bush traveled June 24-29 to Senegal, Mozambique, Mali and and Zambia to highlight efforts to combat malaria and HIV/AIDS and focusing on education, clean water.

Secretary Rice
Secretary Rice gives remarks during the White House's Summit on Malaria. Video