USAID Recognizes World Malaria Day
While malaria has been all but forgotten in
Malaria is often referred to as a disease of poverty as it mostly afflicts those who are least able to afford prevention and treatment services. Economic losses due to malaria in
Each year on
On behalf of the American people, the U.S. government has taken extraordinary steps to curb the spread of this preventable and curable disease. In 2005,
The President’s Malaria Initiative, led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with host countries to ramp up comprehensive control efforts.
Just during the past year,
Widespread distribution of mosquito nets that prevent mosquitoes from biting their intended victims, new and effective drugs to treat malaria, medicines that protect pregnant women and their unborn babies, and spraying insecticides on the inside walls of homes to kill mosquitoes that transmit the disease are all sharply reducing malaria deaths in several African countries. These efforts are bringing newfound hope that malaria is not an intractable problem, and giving children a fighting chance to improve their quality of life and build better futures.
Progress has been dramatic thanks to major contributions from our partners, including host country governments, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund), the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and private sector companies, such as Exxon-Mobil, and NGOs like Malaria No More.
We also are focusing on building capacity within host countries by training people to manage, deliver, and support the delivery of health services, which will be critical for sustained successes against infectious diseases.
To be successful, we must involve community, volunteer, and private sector organizations in malaria control activities at national, district and community levels. Partnerships with faith-based and community organizations are essential because of the credibility these groups have within their communities, their ability to reach the grassroots level, and their capacity to mobilize significant numbers of volunteers. In the 15 focus countries in
On Malaria Day, we strengthen our commitment to rid
Public Information: 202-712-4810
SOURCE U.S. Agency for International Development