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Bush offers more aid to fight malaria
2008-02-19 10:22:24
By Bilal Abdul-Aziz and Agencies, Arusha
US President George Bush yesterday announced a plan to distribute bed nets to protect 5.2 million Tanzanian children from malaria.
On the third day of his five-nation Africa tour, Bush travelled to Arusha to focus attention on the mosquito-borne disease, which kills roughly 100,000 people per year.
It is estimated that at least one million infants and children aged under five years die of malaria every year in sub-Saharan Africa.
``For years, malaria has been a health crisis in sub-Saharan Africa.
The disease keeps sick workers home, school yards quiet and communities in mourning,`` Bush said during a visit to Meru District Hospital. ``The suffering caused by malaria is needless and every death caused by malaria is unacceptable.``
Calling the effort to help fight malaria in Africa a “campaign of compassion”, Bush announced a new plan, in partnership with the World Bank, to distribute 5.2 million insecticide-treated bed nets in Tanzania.
He said the campaign, which will begin within six months, will provide enough nets to protect every child in Tanzania aged between one and five years.
``It is unacceptable to people in the United States who believe every human life has value, and that the power to save lives comes with the moral obligation to use it,`` he told a gathering at the Meru District hospital compound.
Bush, the first ever US head of state to spend four days on African soil, said Washington assistance was part of an international effort to scale down under-five deaths in the sub-Saharan Africa.
Bush launched a plan to dramatically reduce malaria deaths in the worst affected region in the world the sub-Saharan Africa, way back in 2005. More than 80 percent of malaria cases happen in the region.
US Government sources said the US Congress has so far put USD425 million towards President Bush’s USD 1.2 billion five-year programme, which has helped more than 25 million people.
Bush also had an opportunity to get into hospital wards where women spontaneously hugged him, many of them full of smiles, a sign of appreciation to Washington’s assistance to battle the disease.
He had a brief audience with expectant mothers receiving vouchers for treated bed nets and children waiting to be diagnosed and treated for malaria. Moments after his remarks, Bush, who was accompanied with his wife, Laura, distributed several U.S.-funded treated bed nets.
``This is one of the simplest technologies imaginable, but it is also one of the most effective,`` said Bush, standing before an audience of expectant mothers.
``This is a campaign of compassion,`` he said. ``This is a practical way to help save lives. It is in the interests of the United States to save lives.``
Bush has enjoyed a warm Tanzanian welcome. In Arusha, he was greeted at the airport by Maasai dancers dressed in traditional garb.
A smiling Bush revelled in the entertainment and for the second day in a row he tried out a few phrases in Swahili, finishing his statement at the hospital by saying ``Asante`` or ``thank you.``
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