For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
November 13, 2006

Fact Sheet: The White House Summit on Malaria

      The White House Summit on Malaria

Malaria – A Largely Preventable Disease – Kills 3,000 Children Every Day And Claims Almost A Million Lives A Year In Africa. Defeating malaria is an urgent calling and an achievable goal. Adding to the urgency is the fact that malaria is largely preventable. While malaria once afflicted many Americans, today malaria is virtually unheard of in the United States.Over the decades, malaria was eliminated in the United States and elsewhere through science and medical advances. The challenge now is to make sure this progress benefits people still at risk of malaria in Africa.

The President And Mrs. Bush Will Host The White House Summit On Malaria On December 14, 2006, In Washington, DC, To Discuss And Highlight Measures For Combating This Preventable Disease

President Bush Announced The President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) In June 2005. PMI is a five-year, $1.2 billion program that challenges the private sector to join the U.S. Government in combating malaria in 15 of the hardest-hit countries. The initiative aims to cut malaria-related deaths by 50 percent in these 15 focus countries in Africa.

• Through partnerships working in the first three focus countries – Tanzania, Angola and Uganda – aid from the American people has already reached about six million Africans.
• In June 2006, Mrs. Laura Bush announced the United States will partner with four more focus countries – Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal – to provide long-lasting mosquito nets, anti-malarial drugs, and help these countries conduct mosquito-spraying programs. The initiative also includes education and evaluation programs.

Purpose Of The Summit

Highlighting Measures To Control Malaria. The White House Summit on Malaria will bring together international experts, multilateral institutions, corporations and foundations, African civic leaders, NGOs and faith-based and service organizations to discuss and highlight measures for controlling malaria. The objectives of the Summit are:

• To jump-start an ambitious public-private effort to control malaria;
• To educate the American public about malaria, a largely preventable and treatable disease; and,
• To send a message globally about the need for governments, NGOs, corporations, and private citizens to join together to control malaria.

Partnering Together To Give African Children The Gift Of Growing Up. The Summit will highlight the many organizations at work in the fight against malaria, including Malaria No More, which is helping to mobilize new private sector support.

• Malaria No More: Malaria No More is a non-profit organization created in 2006 by leading non-governmental entities to give private and non-profit organizations and individuals the opportunity to support a comprehensive approach to control malaria, and to help coordinate those efforts with governments and the multilateral organizations at the forefront of the fight. Malaria No More is mobilizing corporations and foundations; churches, synagogues and mosques; schools and athletic teams; and communities and individuals.

• Other Summit Partners Include The Office Of The Coordinator For The President’s Malaria Initiative At The U.S. Agency For International Development And The Office Of Public Diplomacy And Public Affairs At The U.S. State Department.

Mobilizing Grassroots To Save Millions Of Lives In Africa. The Summit will engage the private sector in a powerful grassroots movement to raise awareness of malaria, and highlight ways that organizations and individuals can get involved in combating this preventable disease.

Themes Of The Summit

The Challenge Of Malaria In Africa. One child dies in Africa every 30 seconds from malaria. At least one million infants and children under five in sub-Saharan Africa die each year from the mosquito-borne disease. While this disease is one of the greatest threats to human and economic welfare on earth, malaria is both preventable and treatable if addressed properly and quickly.

The Power Of Public/Private Partnerships. The Summit will help educate the public about malaria and public and private efforts to control it, and jump-start an ambitious public-private effort, sending a message globally about the need for governments, NGOs, and corporations to come together to control malaria. Major multilateral institutions in the forefront of the effort to control malaria are also expected to attend, including UNICEF, the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and others.

Growing The Grassroots. Under the leadership of Malaria No More, America’s corporations and foundations, nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations, individuals and America’s young people are being challenged to save lives and build a bridge between peoples. One American with just $10 can save a life in Africa. A school, a church, or a team can save a village. Together, Americans can help protect an entire continent.

More Information

For More Information On This Initiative, Please Visit: www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/malaria.

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