8 nations join anti-malaria fight
2006-12-15 09:50
Washington - President George W Bush named eight more countries on Thursday to receive the United States assistance for malaria prevention and treatment in Africa, where the disease killed a million people a year, and asked Europeans to do more to help.
Bush said: "The goal of defeating malaria is a challenging goal, yet it can be done. It's not going to require a miracle. It just requires a smart, sustained, focused effort."
He was speaking at a summit he convened bringing together leaders in the global fight against malaria. The mosquito-borne disease was caused by a parasite. Most deaths were among children under age 5 in sub-Saharan Africa.
Bush announced a five-year, $1.2bn programme intended to halve malaria-related deaths in 15 hard-hit countries in Africa.
The money was going toward bed nets that protected against mosquito bites, insecticide spraying and anti-malarial drugs.
US initiative started in Uganda
But, there were questions as to whether the congress would produce funding levels sought by the White House.
Bush said eight countries - Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Zambia, Kenya, Liberia, Ethiopia and Benin - would be added to the US effort in 2008.
Bush met earlier at the White House with Benin's visiting President Thomas Boni Yayi and praised his willingness to help anti-malaria efforts.
The US initiative already had started in Uganda, Angola and Tanzania. The White House previously said it would be expanded in 2007 to include Senegal, Malawi, Rwanda and Mozambique.
Bush cited action by businesses, private foundations, the World Bank and others against malaria, but said more must be done.
Bush said: "Some of our allies in Europe have committed resources to these efforts. And frankly, they should commit more."
Million people expect bed nets
Bono, the Irish rock star and activist against poverty and disease, met with congressional leaders and expressed alarm they didn't make a commitment to prevent the loss of $1bn in US money to fight Aids, malaria and poverty.
Bono said that democrats and republicans blamed one another. He said: "But, the million people who were expecting bed nets don't care who's to blame. They just know that a promise made by the United States to keep their families safe is in danger of being broken next year."
Bush said malaria inflicted a financial cost of $12bn a year on sub-Saharan Africa.
He said: "And if the disease continues to spread, the cost in lives and lost productivity is going to grow exponentially worse. Now was the time to act. Allowing Africa to continue on that path is just simply unacceptable."
First lady Laura Bush, who hosted the summit with her husband, drew attention to efforts by the US school children to raise money to buy bed nets.
She said the president's initiative already had helped six million Africans and should benefit 30 million more next year.