Stop the #1 Killer of African Children

I support the work of President Clinton and the Clinton Foundation in their efforts to create a global subsidy for malaria treatments.

Malaria is the single greatest killer of children in Africa. This year, more than 500 million people will become infected with malaria. And even though this disease is completely curable, one to three million children will still die, because for some families in the developing world, effective treatment is too expensive.

The Clinton Foundation has made great strides in enabling access to safe, effective treatment for all who are infected. Last year, it launched a pilot subsidy program in Tanzania--the country with the highest rate of deaths from malaria in southern Africa. The program aimed to make more accessible the most effective malaria medicine--ACTs, or artemisinin-based combination therapies. While these drugs are available in most drug shops, they cost approximately $10.00 per treatment, an overwhelming burden in a country where 60 percent of the people live on less than $2 per day.

Six months into the pilot program, the price of ACTs had dropped to $0.50--a 95 percent reduction. In addition to helping dramatically lower the price, the Foundation helped educate families and local drug shop vendors about ACTs, their effectiveness, and how to use them correctly.

These efforts must be expanded dramatically. Children around the world have been dying despite a readily available cure.

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I support the Clinton Foundation in their efforts to support expansion of this approach to countries across Africa and save hundreds of thousands of lives.