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World Malaria Day: Message from CEO Charles MacCormack
World Malaria Day - April 25, 2008
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CEO Charlie MacCormack with mother and child at Tulla Health Center in Awassa, Ethiopia. |
It's hard to believe that such a little creature can cause such big problems. But, a mosquito bite in certain parts of the world can be fatal to a baby or toddler. Malaria kills nearly 3,000 children under age 5 every day. That's 1 million children in sub-Saharan Africa alone every year.
While scientists continue to search for a way to eradicate the disease, children do not have to die. There are simple things we can do today to prevent and control the illness using simple, existing tools: insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor residual spraying stop the transmission of the disease, and lifesaving medicines treat the illness.
But, these remedies are not available to all children, leaving lives hanging in the balance.
All is not bleak, however. The buzz about successful prevention and treatment of malaria is building. People in rich and poor countries, from policymakers to school children and from corporate CEOs to farmers, are getting informed and getting behind the fight against this disease. And, lives are being saved.
Just earlier this month, Americans gave generously during the television charity event Idol Gives Back, raising more than $60 million to date. Part of these donations will put lifesaving tools into the hands of African families who need them.
Children in 15 African countries are already benefitting from President Bush's Malaria Initiative, launched nearly three years ago, and backed by Democrats and Republicans in Congress. This initiative pledged to increase U.S. malaria funding by more than $1.2 billion and — building on support from other funders like the World Bank and the Global Business Coalition — has reached an estimated 25 million people with lifesaving treatment and prevention measures since the program began. Additionally, the U.S. Congress is currently negotiating and authorizing legislation that would devote $5 billion to combat malaria over five years.
Even citizens in poor countries are recognizing the need to do more and are heeding the call to help. While these nations may lack financial resources, they do not lack political will. Take Ethiopia, a country where 6 percent of children under age 5 die from the disease. More than 23,000 child lives are lost each year. In 2005, the government made malaria control a priority and marshaled its citizens to help. With funding from partners like the Global Fund, Ethiopians in villages across the country helped distribute 20 million insecticide-treated bed nets to 38 million people in just three years. It's an amazing accomplishment.
But, the Ethiopian government took it one step further. Understanding that handing out bed nets alone won't solve the problem, they trained and deployed 27,000 women in villages where the bed nets were distributed to educate families on how to use them properly, recognize symptoms of the disease and seek immediate care if symptoms arise. These women are also provided with lifesaving medicines to treat malaria. If you visit any of these villages, you'll find women beaming with pride for having helped save a child's life. Many developing countries around the globe, like Bangladesh and Malawi, are adopting this same approach successfully.
It's encouraging to see increasing global support for the fight against malaria, and the recent successes in combating the disease are commendable. But, an additional 24,000 newborns, babies and toddlers will die today from other global killers like diarrhea, pneumonia and newborn complications. Preventing these deaths is possible with the same global commitment.
One way for the United States to show its commitment is through the passage of the Global Child Survival Act. This legislation, currently before Congress, would strengthen American leadership by investing in low-cost, highly effective, lifesaving interventions such as vitamins, antibiotics and vaccines that could help save the lives of millions of newborns and young children in the world's poorest countries. Americans can help by letting their leaders know they support action on this measure, and by joining Save the Children's Survive to 5 campaign.
