PATH participates in malaria briefings on Capitol Hill

In November, PATH staff joined Dr. Chilandu Mukuka, deputy coordinator of the National Malaria Control Center of Zambia, to visit lawmakers in Washington, DC. Dr. Mukuka and the Zambian government are working with PATH’s Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA) to scale up access to proven malaria control interventions such as insecticide-treated bednets and indoor spraying. Meetings with lawmakers highlighted the need for continued US support of initiatives maximizing the use of these interventions and investment in future tools such as vaccines.

Malaria is one of the most common and devastating infectious diseases in the world and is responsible for the deaths of more than one million children each year. The US government provides resources to fight malaria through the President’s Malaria Initiative; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and support for research and development of new drugs and vaccines. While meeting with staff from several senate offices, Dr. Mukuka shared personal stories about losing her sister to malaria and achieving success in Zambia by mobilizing partners to break the cycle of illness. She discussed her experiences directly with Senator Donald Payne, chair of the subcommittee on Africa and Global Health.

Matthew Lynch, director of the VOICES program at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and Rachel Wilson, director of policy and advocacy at PATH, also joined Dr. Mukuka.

Learn more about PATH's efforts to fight malaria.

Posted December 18, 2007.