Malaria and Tuberculosis in Africa

Title: Malaria and Tuberculosis in Africa
Date: 9/14/2004
Location: Washington, DC

Washington, Sep 14 - The following is the opening statement of Africa Subcommittee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA-40) at today's hearing examining malaria and tuberculosis in Africa:

"Infectious diseases cut short tens of millions of African lives each year. This is a humanitarian crisis. They also weigh down Africa's economic development, cutting workforce productivity, diverting public spending, and deterring desperately needed foreign investment. One report suggests that malaria alone slows economic growth in African countries by 1.3 percent per year. The U.S. has a strong interest in aggressively tackling infectious diseases on the continent.

"The U.S. and the international community have been focused on HIV/AIDS. And rightly so. This epidemic has taken countless lives, and its death toll is mounting at a frightening pace. Several Subcommittee members have been very involved in substantially increasing our response to HIV/AIDS.

"Today, the Subcommittee will look at malaria and tuberculosis (TB). Former South African president Nelson Mandela, who contacted TB while imprisoned in the late 1980s, recently said '… we cannot win the battle against AIDS if we do not also fight TB. TB is too often a death sentence for people with AIDS.' Malaria inflicts hundreds of millions of Africans, and is the leading killer of African children under the age of five. Malaria increases children's vulnerability to other diseases and retards their physical and cognitive development. I would be remiss if I didn't mention our many government personnel who serve in Africa and confront malaria daily. In my travels throughout the continent I've met many State Department and AID personnel who have suffered from malaria, in some cases, quite severe cases.

"All of us should be concerned that malaria and TB are spreading, despite international commitments. In 1998, the World Health Organization and other agencies committed to cut malaria deaths in half by 2010. Yet too few Africans today are receiving aid to ward off malaria, or effective care when the disease is contacted. For many reasons, malaria deaths, instead of decreasing toward that goal, are increasing in Africa. TB infections are rising in Africa, largely tracking the spread of HIV/AIDS. That's the bottom line. We need to constantly question our efforts, especially when the diseases we're attacking are rising.

"When considering strategies to fight malaria, we must consider the efficacy, operational feasibility, and cost effectiveness of each possible option, whether it be providing insecticide-treated netting, medicine, pesticides to protect homes, or other methods. In deciding the best mix for all infectious diseases, sound science must be the guide, with politics left behind. The stakes are too high for us to be anything but resourceful, open-minded and aggressive in helping Africans contend with infectious diseases. I'm encouraged to see that the Global Fund, in response to outside pressure, is beginning to provide ACT and other drugs of higher effectiveness.

"The international community alone can't solve Africa's health problems. While we all need to do more, it is Africa's leaders who bear the greatest responsibility. I read a recent article on Equatorial Guinea, whose government is squandering tens of millions of dollars, if not more, as its leadership enriches itself with newly generated oil revenues. In Equatorial Guinea, where malaria is rampant, the government is spending one percent of its revenues on health. One percent. That's immoral. This is an extreme example, but African leaders as a whole must do better."