Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to testify before you this morning.
I want to, first, thank you for the language that was included in the omnibus appropriations conference report, calling for direct support in fiscal year 2003 for the Malaria Vaccine Initiative. It will make a difference in saving the lives of children who die everyday as a result of malaria.
NIH estimates that malaria kills between 2 and 3 million people every year, most of them are young children living in the world's poorest countries. Along with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, malaria is one of the three biggest infectious disease killers in the world today.
We applaud the increased U.S. government attention and funding to the global fight against infectious diseases, most notably for HIV/AIDS.
Today, we're here to draw your attention to the less well-recognized global health crisis of malaria, and the need for malaria vaccines as the best way to prevent this debilitating and deadly disease.
We also want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, Mrs. Lowey, and the members of the committee for your leadership in ensuring that someday malaria vaccines will be part of the solution to this disease.
In just the minute that it's taken me to greet you, three more children have died because of malaria. Yet the overwhelming number of deaths caused by malaria represents only a small fraction of this disease's devastation.
Between 300 and 500 million people fall ill to malaria every year. In addition to the tragic impact on life and health, malaria is one of the few diseases that have a direct correlation to poverty. Malaria's estimated cost to Africa's development is $12 billion annually, slowing economic growth by 1.3 percent per year. Clearly malaria prevention should be a key component in efforts to aid the economic and social development of countries that are hit hardest by the malaria epidemic.
With appropriate diagnosis and early treatment or drug therapy, the physically and economically debilitating effects of malaria can be lessened. The tools we currently have to fight malaria, though, are not sufficient to have a substantial and sustained impact that's needed to resolve the malaria crisis.
The growing resistance to anti-malarial drugs and insecticides points to the need for new tools, such as a vaccine for children that could actually prevent malaria. Currently there are no licensed malaria vaccines.
The Malaria Vaccine Initiative has significantly accelerated the progress of developing malaria vaccines in its three short years of existence. Since its founding with the generous grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, MVI is accomplishing its mission, to accelerate the development of promising malaria vaccine candidates and assure that they are available and affordable in developing countries.
MVI has identified the most promising vaccines and technologies and implemented very targeted partnerships between research scientists, vaccinologists, and industrial vaccine developers. Our work has renewed efforts and expanded the interests and the research and development of promising malaria vaccine candidates. And our strategically applied funds have got multiple vaccine candidates to clinical trials on an aggressive schedule.
This year we're supporting 11 clinical trials in five different countries, and the list of potential vaccine candidates that will be heading into trials is growing.
MVI's efforts have led to the manufacture and the initial clinical trials of five novel malaria vaccine concepts, including four products that have never been in vials before.
The market for a malaria vaccine is primarily poor people living in developing countries, so the market forces that require an acceptable return on investment by industry will not drive malaria vaccine development. Ensuring the successful development of a vaccine for a disease that primarily affects the poorest people in the world requires "push" incentives, such as the funding for research and developments, and also "pull" incentives, such as the funding for vaccine purchase and a guarantee of market. Funding for the Vaccine Fund that was already addressed in previous testimony this morning is very important to enhance the credibility of these developing country markets.
We at MVI know that our efforts so far represent a good start. With our partners, we've established the momentum, but more and broader support is needed to achieve our common goal in the shortest time possible. For each year that we delay, another 2 to 3 million lives are lost. In order to reach the goal of developing a malaria vaccine, I urge the committee to recommend that $5 million be provided in fiscal year 2004 for the Malaria Vaccine Initiative. I also encourage the committee to increase funding in fiscal year 2004 in the child survival and health account. Increased funding for child survival and health in general and for the malaria program specifically will save children's lives around the world.
Thank you very much for your consideration. And I'm happy to answer any questions.
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