World Malaria Day events in Washington, DC, kicked off on Apr. 20 with an evening reception on Capitol Hill that provided an opportunity to celebrate progress made against malaria over the past decade and a half.

 

Organized by Malaria No More and the US Malaria Roundtable, speakers included all four leaders of the House and Senate malaria caucuses as well as US Global Coordinator of the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), Rear Adm. Tim Ziemer.

 

Speakers focused on the global reductions in both malaria mortality and malaria cases and the role of the PMI. As noted by Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, Co-Chair of the Senate Malaria Caucus, “Over its ten-year history, PMI has done a tremendous job to contribute to the fight to end malaria.” The task remaining was also front and center, however, with Adm. Ziemer flagging the “audacious” goal set forth by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address to end malaria altogether. 

 

Ziemer’s remarks paved the way for those by Col. Robert Paris, Director of the Military Malaria Research Project at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Col. Paris emphasized the importance of research and development for new tools and observed that eliminating malaria was the best protection for US fighting forces. This message was also taken up by Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York, who made the point that the battle against malaria will only be won when such gatherings are no longer needed—because then malaria truly will be “no more”.

 

The event, held in the Capitol Visitor Center, was co-sponsored by PATH and several other Malaria Roundtable members.

 

 

Event at UK Parliament aims to engage policymakers on UK role as malaria champion