PATH (Seattle)
24 April 2008
press release
Washington, DC — First Lady Laura Bush announced today the creation of the Congressional Malaria Caucus, which will provide an important forum for new and enhanced congressional leadership in the effort to strengthen the global fight against malaria. Congressmen Donald Payne (D-NJ) and John Boozman (R-AR) will co-chair the new caucus.
As chair of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, Congressman Payne has long been a champion of the diseases that ravage that continent. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that at least 2.3 billion people are at risk for malaria and that between 300 and 500 million persons are currently infected. Each year, more than one million children under the age of five, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, die from the disease. However, by scaling up the use of existing tools and accelerating access to new ones, progress is being made and success is possible, given sufficient leadership and political will.
"Congress and the Administration have shown great leadership in the global fight against malaria through US support for the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria," stated Dr. Christopher J. Elias, president of PATH. "This new caucus will serve as a critical addition to America's leadership in this area."
PATH works to reduce the global burden of malaria by supporting both the scale-up of existing tools and the development of new ones. The Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA) program at PATH works to strengthen national systems so that they can rapidly deliver the best existing methods for malaria prevention and treatment to the people who need them most. To complement this work, the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) seeks to accelerate the development of malaria vaccines and to ensure their availability and accessibility in the developing world.
MACEPA's framework for scale-up depends on strong country leadership, a single coordination mechanism for implementing the plan, and a single monitoring and evaluation system. For the past three years, MACEPA has implemented this model in Zambia and is currently working to expand the model to additional countries, including Ethiopia. "Partnering with African countries to build the capacity of national malaria control programs is a priority for sustaining commitment to reducing the impact of malaria in the Africa region," said Dr. Kent Campbell, director of MACEPA.
MVI supports a number of vaccine candidates, investing in diverse approaches to vaccine development. By working with partners around the world, including scientists and policymakers in malaria-endemic countries, MVI is able to synergize efforts in the malaria vaccine community. "By extending existing strategies and investing in new tools, such as a vaccine, MVI hopes that the long-term goal of eradicating malaria can be realized," said MVI's director, Dr. Christian Loucq.
PATH is an international nonprofit organization that creates sustainable, culturally relevant solutions enabling communities worldwide to break longstanding cycles of poor health. By collaborating with diverse public- and private-sector partners, PATH helps provide appropriate health technologies and vital strategies that change the way people think and act. PATH's work improves global health and well-being. For more information, please visit www.path.org.
The Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA) at PATH, the Government of Zambia, and other partners are working to set the standard for getting comprehensive malaria control interventions to all African communities. MACEPA is demonstrating that national scale-up of malaria prevention and control saves lives, reduces illness, and decreases the economic burden malaria exerts on affected communities. For more information, please visit www.path.org/macepa.
The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) is a global program established at PATH through an initial grant of $50 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. MVI's mission is to accelerate the development of malaria vaccines and ensure their availability and accessibility in the developing world. MVI's vision is a world free from malaria. For more information, please visit www.malariavaccine.org.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 PATH. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
