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World Malaria Day calls attention to global fight

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    Martha MacCallum raises awareness for initiative

  • Duration 7:24
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So now -- -- special segment in order to bring your attention to a very important issue tomorrow is world malaria day.

Every single day 14100 children -- from malaria as a child gone.

Every minute of every single day.

-- the good news is that since President Bush started the president's malaria initiative back in 2005.

The number of these cases has dropped significantly.

It is down 33%.

Since the global effort began back in 2000.

And President Obama has kept all of this going as well that is set at PMI had admiral Tim Ziemer -- to the left of me there in that picture.

I recently spent some time with him and Ghana.

Malaria no more supports.

And improved treatment an early diagnosis and I got to see this program up close on a recent trip to Ghana here's a look at some of what I -- Yeah this morning -- Maybe you're -- -- wouldn't -- yeah.

And president and yeah yeah a lot of -- kids don't really.

And I mean -- come -- reason that.

Yeah look how do you spend money and -- -- me money.

And we hope they don't last -- Darren -- -- -- now.

Had a -- -- they love them doesn't mean irons.

It didn't -- right now and we were looking at the mosquitoes as they were reading and then they'll be testing here.

To figure out in -- are resistant to pesticides they're testing yourself.

Fascinating.

The same thing.

We -- and headache and we -- here to see clinic where women are getting.

Prenatal care.

City com -- 12 or hopefully three treatments before they have their babies that they can be protected from Larry they're also giving that's so that after the babies born and the baby can be protected the damage can be protected so there's -- glad to hear that is testing pad for malaria as well.

TV as well we get to see if it's.

-- -- here for their care they were lovely increases in allowing -- coming -- -- -- -- doing the things we weren't really.

When that people -- Texas it they have the diagnosis so that they know and they get the medication.

-- -- next mean he had an extraordinary.

Experience as seen on this very important step for the young people.

In our country to see this kind of work firsthand and I'm joined now.

Very glad to be joined by David -- has a CEO of malaria no more and Michael Gerson who -- former speechwriter and policy advisor for president George W.

Bush she's also policy fellow.

At the one campaign.

I and gentlemen welcome it's great to see here David and I -- on the trip together.

-- tell folks at home sort of the big message here in why this work is so important.

Why it matters and why should you know the United States spend any money to send to this -- country for this for this -- us.

Well I think you hit the nail right on the head when he talked about a child dying every minute.

And the tragedy is that every single one of those deaths is preventable a simple bed -- -- some mosquito biting and transmitting malaria.

And the price of this that that money that the United States is spending -- tiny.

Compared to the overall spend of the government it's one dime out of every 400 dollars that the government spends we spend on the president's malaria initiative.

And for that time we see dividends across the world strengthen economies strengthen societies goodwill for America.

In countries around the globe so that's really the message of world malaria day.

This fight is winnable we can win it we have the tools we have the knowledge and we just need the will.

And Michael Gerson you -- in on this early -- in in the formative part of the president's malaria initiative and President Bush was so passionate about this he and his family are revered.

In Africa because of the work that they did there why you know why does it make sense in terms of national security issues and and also because it's just.

As he would say it is what we do as Americans.

Well there is a humanitarian imperative here we are a unique country a country with a creed.

And this kind of effort makes our creed evident to the world but there is also an interest here we've seen how.

America can be hurt when their despair and hopelessness and other parts the world that's true with terrorism -- -- with pandemic disease.

Strewn with refugee flows and drug trafficking -- And that's -- we benefit.

When.

Hope advances in other places -- I've been across Africa I've seen how particularly efforts on malaria.

And aides have created a positive.

Image for America people remember.

When you helped to save their children.

Yeah and all these areas are vulnerable of course to that.

Seeds terrorism and other entities that would love to sort of move into that vacuum when the economy is so.

It is in is so vulnerable.

So how does you know just being healthy and not having malaria is how is -- a basic building blockaded it.

Well about 25% of school absences and sub saharan Africa are traceable to malaria.

When kids are healthy they can learn they can go to school when parents are healthy they can go to the market they can go to the fields.

It builds as a society that the malaria control programs build an economy and -- society.

We've seen companies to you and I saw companies in in the Ashanti region of Ghana.

Where they're investing in malaria prevention programs not just doesn't as a measure of good will but as it as an economic driver.

They're reducing lost -- days they're building society and you've seen school.

School attendance skyrocket you've seen -- worked as plummet.

That's the sort of thing which if replicated across Africa could have an extraordinary effect on building viable trading partners for America and helping create American jobs.

And speaking of that -- and Michael you wrote a piece on your visit to Sandia.

That was fascinating and I encourage everybody to go online and check it out but you talked about China China is spending ten to one.

The dollars that we are investing in Africa talk to us about that.

Well it's true you see -- all over Africa China is competing for resources it's a very self interest did sort of mercantile approach.

But if you go to the US embassy in Zambia much of what they do with aids and malaria and that's an interesting strategy and I think it's a pretty successful one -- -- the last presidential election in Zambia.

Was in many ways a rejection of Chinese influence the president was -- -- the new president of Zambia was elected on kind of an anti Chinese platform in his first.

Act was stick have a party.

Where he honored peace corps and USA ID for their work this is exactly what America can do in the world than and I think it's a comparative advantage we bring in the in this struggle great points.

Everybody and that the address for malaria no more is on the bottom of your screen malaria no more dot -- quickly David what can people do to help.

People need to make their voices heard people need to express themselves and their communities to their elected leaders.

And if they want to know more and know more about the policy and what's going on just come to our website as he pointed out malaria no more dot org and thank you this is so important.

Thank you very much David -- Michael -- with the one campaign thank you for the work that you done in this area and to keep this a conversation going.

We -- riveted into which -- can to help thank you very much gentlemen great to have you here tonight.

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