Saturday is World Malaria Day, and the international community is marking it with new pledges to curb the disease.
In
a statement Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama said the United States
wants to help meet the United Nations' goal to end malaria deaths by
2015.
Mr. Obama said the U.S. commitment begins with ending malaria as a major public health threat in Africa.
U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice says the United States will
work with religious leaders to provide more mosquito nets,
insecticides, affordable drugs and education to communities across
sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaria kills nearly one million people in Africa each year, and costs countries billions of dollars.
But
those African nations with active malaria prevention programs have
shown encouraging results. Recent health surveys in Rwanda, Ethiopia,
Eritrea, Ghana and Kenya show decreases in the mortality rate from the
disease.
The head of the United Nations
Children's Fund says the world is poised to make malaria a rare cause
of death "for the first time in history."
Ann Venemen says UNICEF now has enough money to give mosquito nets to almost every African at risk of malaria by 2010.
President
Obama said the United States and its global partners can build on the
progress and address a range of global health threats by investing in
health systems and continuing to work on prevention and treatment
measures.
In the past few months, a coalition of nations and private groups has pledged more than $3 billion to combat malaria.
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