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PMI: Presidents Malaria Initiative - Saving lives in Africa.

President's Malaria Initiative E-Newsletter

December 2005

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the President’s Malaria Initiative e-newsletter. In these pages, you will receive the latest news about the Initiative’s start-up, hear what people are saying about it, and learn about early activities in countries receiving funds.

On June 30, 2005, President George W. Bush challenged the world to dramatically reduce the burden of malaria as a major killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa and pledged to increase funding of malaria prevention and treatment by more than $1.2 billion over five years. The goal of this effort is to reduce malaria deaths by 50 percent in each of the target countries after three years of full implementation.

The Initiative has gotten off to a fast start in the initial target countries of Angola, Tanzania, and Uganda. Within six weeks of the President’s announcement, interagency teams were in each country conducting rapid assessments. Advance funds (or previous year monies) are supporting “jump-start” activities that will benefit up to 3 million people, including indoor residual spraying in southern Angola beginning December 13; mass distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) in Zanzibar (Tanzania) beginning December 19; and distribution of ITNs in conflict-ridden districts of northern Uganda beginning in January. Initial commodity orders have been issued, and a $100 million proposal request for indoor residual spraying has been posted on the Internet for comment. Five-year strategies and first-year country plans have been drafted for each country, and by March the four countries to be added for fiscal year 2007 should be ready to announce.

Table of Contents

News
  • First Lady Laura Bush Joins African Leaders in Historic Declaration to Reduce the Burden of Malaria
  • Statement by USAID Administrator Andrew S. Natsios on the President's Malaria Initiative
  • Statement by Administrator Natsios Regarding the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Commitment to Malaria Research
  • First HHS Funds Awarded in Support of President's Initiative to Prevent and Reduce Deaths in Africa
  • Battling Malaria in Africa, USAID Anticipates Nearly $100 Million Award for Wide-Scale Spraying Program
  • Letter to the Editor: USAID Isn’t Against Using DDT in Worldwide Malaria Battle
  • Highlights From the Fourth MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference
Speeches
  • Transcript of President Bush’s Speech on the G8 Summit and Progress in Africa
  • Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush at a USAID "Fighting Malaria in Africa" Dinner
  • On-the-Record Briefing by Administrator Natsios on the President’s Initiatives to Combat Malaria and Support Education in Africa
Fact Sheets
  • White House Fact Sheet: Fighting Malaria in Africa
  • USAID Fact Sheet: Accelerating the Fight Against Malaria
Country Profiles
  • Angola
  • Tanzania
  • Uganda


News top

First Lady Laura Bush Joins African Leaders in Historic Declaration to Reduce the Burden of Malaria
Within hours of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, First Lady Laura Bush, alongside representatives from Angola, Tanzania, and Uganda, witnessed the signing of a declaration to curb the burden of malaria.

Statement by USAID Administrator Andrew S. Natsios on the President's Malaria Initiative
"I welcome President Bush's new initiative on malaria, which will dramatically increase malaria funding in selected countries and will allow us to make a qualitative leap in the fight against malaria."

Statement by Administrator Natsios Regarding the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Commitment to Malaria Research
"Today, I'd like to applaud the efforts of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for accelerating malaria research and development with a commitment of $258.3 million to support discovery of a malaria vaccine, new drugs, and improved mosquito control."

First HHS Funds Awarded in Support of President's Initiative to Prevent and Reduce Deaths in Africa
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (HHS/CDC) has awarded $750,000 to four projects in support of the President's Malaria Initiative to prevent and reduce malaria deaths in targeted African countries.

Battling Malaria in Africa, USAID Anticipates Nearly $100 Million Award for Wide-Scale Spraying Program
As part of the President's Malaria Initiative, USAID announced on November 18 that it is seeking input from interested organizations regarding their ability to implement a major public health program to fight malaria in Africa.

Letter to the Editor: USAID Isn’t Against Using DDT in Worldwide Malaria Battle
Assistant Administrator Hill responded to Paul Driessen’s November 2 opinion article in The Hill titled, "USAID Could Stop This Epidemic" and said it "misrepresents the U.S. Agency for International Development's support for indoor residual spraying to control malaria, as well as the United States Government’s position on the use of DDT internationally."

Highlights From the Fourth MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference
Watch interviews with newsmakers summarizing developments from the Fourth MIM (Multilateral Initiative on Malaria) Pan-African Malaria Conference, which took place November 13-18 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The interviews were provided by kaisernetwork.org and GlobalHealthReporting.org, free services of the Kaiser Family Foundation.


Speeches top

Transcript of President Bush’s Speech on the G8 Summit and Progress in Africa
Speaking at the Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C., President Bush said, "We believe that every life matters and every person counts. And so we are moved when thousands of young lives are ended every day by the treatable disease of malaria."

Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush at a USAID "Fighting Malaria in Africa" Dinner
Speaking at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, Mrs. Bush said, "We have the knowledge and the technology to prevent infections and to effectively treat people who have malaria. With this knowledge comes the obligation to act."

On-the-Record Briefing by Administrator Natsios on the President’s Initiatives to Combat Malaria and Support Education in Africa
At the U.S. Department of State on June 30, USAID Administrator Natsios said, "One of the biggest killers in Africa is malaria. Because we have virtually eliminated malaria in the United States over the last century and a half, people here and in Europe don't think about this as a disease much... "


Fact Sheets top

White House Fact Sheet: Fighting Malaria in Africa
President Bush challenged the world to dramatically reduce malaria as a major killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa and pledged to increase funding of malaria prevention and treatment by more than $1.2 billion over five years.

USAID Fact Sheet: Accelerating the Fight Against Malaria
USAID has been a leader in the global effort to control malaria since the 1950s and is the U.S. Government’s lead agency for implementing malaria prevention and treatment programs in affected countries overseas.


Country Profiles top

The President's Malaria Initiative supports malaria prevention and control activities through a variety of programs. To launch the Initiative, the United States Government will expand resources for malaria in Angola, Tanzania, and Uganda beginning in 2006; expand to at least four more highly endemic African countries in 2007; and expand to at least five more in 2008.

View current country profiles:

If you have questions or comments, please contact Chris Thomas at ChThomas@usaid.gov.

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