Talking Points for Margot Ellis

President’s Malaria Initiative Launch in Kitgum
Wednesday, January 25, 2006

• Honorable Alex Kamugisha, Minister of State for Primary Health;
Dr. J.B. Rwakimari, Ag. DHS Community and Clinical Services;
Mr. Daniel Kalule, Personal Asst. to the Minister;
Paul Kagwa, Assistant Commissioner for Health Promotion and Education;
Dr. Rwakimari, Program Manager for the National Malaria Control Program;
Dr. Paul Onek, District Director of Health Services in the Ministry of Health;
John Opwonya, Malaria Focal Person;
Martin Mogwja, Country Rep for UNICEF
Melville George, WHO Representative
Other donor representatives
USAID implementing partners and NGO representatives;
U.S. Government officials
Members of the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen

• Thank you for such a warm welcome to Kitgum.  I am honored to be here today to launch President Bush’s latest initiative to control malaria in Uganda, Tanzania and Angola. 

• I do not need to tell you the statistics that malaria is the leading cause of illness, malnutrition, diminished productivity and death throughout Uganda. Nor do I need to tell you that deaths due to malaria range from 70,000 to 110,000 people each year, nearly a quarter of whom are children under five years. And I do not need to tell you that in conflict affected districts, children below 5 years suffer more than4-6 fever episodes per year.  You know it.  These are your spouses, parents and most of all your children who are sick and dying of malaria.

• It is time to do something about it.  By working with your government and our many important partners in this struggle to prevent and control malaria, the US government is committed to providing the nets, treatment and indoor spraying to reduce malaria mortality by half in the most at risk populations.  The Presidential Malaria Initiative will begin today by supplying more than 300,000 long-lasting insecticide treated nets to pregnant women, children under five and people living with HIV/AIDS in the camps throughout northern Uganda in 2006. 

• Why are we giving nets?  Insecticide-treated nets have been shown to reduce malaria in children by providing personal protection to each child under the net.  But amazingly, if coverage is comprehensive in the community, the infective mosquito population reduces in the area. Therefore, regular use of nets by young children, can reduce overall risk of dying by 20%, and the overall number of clinical malaria episodes by half.  This could mean up to 6,000 young lives saved and another 50,000 less malaria episodes.

• We know that malaria can be prevented with insecticide treated nets because if the mosquitoes cannot bite you, then you cannot get malaria.  But that is where your job begins.  Nets will only work if you sleep under them.   In particular, every pregnant woman, every child under 5 and all people living with HIV/AIDS should sleep under an insecticide treated net.  We hope that by distributing these nets that we are helping to make this possible as long as you do your part, too.

• But because some people will not be able to prevent malaria, through PMI we will also be providing treatment for malaria.  Anyone who gets malaria needs treatment fast.  If you get treatment within 24 hours, you are less likely to die of malaria.  So if you or your babies get a fever, go to the clinic or community drug distributor and get treatment.

• In other parts of Uganda the PMI will work to re-treat existing nets and ensure prevention of malaria in pregnancy is strengthened.  The PMI will help to roll out the new drug treatment regimen and ensure that it is available in health facilities and at the community level.  The PMI will assist the Ministry of Health to develop a safe and effective indoor residual spray (IRS) program in epidemic prone areas of the country. 

• In partnership with the National Malaria Control Program in the Ministry of Health and a host of key donors and implementing partners involved in malaria prevention and control in Uganda—many of whom are here today—the PMI will reach 85% coverage of key at-risk groups with proven interventions. 

• These are ambitious targets.  But Uganda was chosen as one of three countries to benefit from this initiative because Uganda is known worldwide for getting results.  Such results are only possible with close and coordinated partnerships. 

• To the Ministry of Health officials, Members of the Inter-agency Coordination Committee on Malaria (ICCM), Roll Back Malaria Partners, USAID partners, community drug distributors, men who actively support their wives and children for better health and the women and children themselves who are or will sleep under a net every night: thank you for this collaboration.

• On behalf of the American People, I look forward to standing up in three years to say that PMI met its targets of saving young lives, thanks to the incredible commitment of the Ugandan people.