119-sres173

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 173 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 173

 Supporting the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 April 10, 2025

 Mr. Wicker (for himself and Mr. Coons) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Supporting the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day.

Whereas April 25 of each year is recognized internationally as World Malaria 
 Day;
Whereas malaria is a leading cause of death and disease in many countries, with 
 nearly \1/2\ of all cases globally occurring in only 4 countries, 
 despite malaria being a preventable and treatable disease;
Whereas, in the 19th century, malaria was once a leading cause of death in the 
 United States;
Whereas malaria was finally eradicated in the 1950s, but United States citizens 
 still contract and die from malaria every year from traveling abroad;
Whereas, in 2023, there were an estimated 263,000,000 cases of malaria in 83 
 countries and 597,000 malaria-related deaths worldwide, with 94 percent 
 of those cases in Africa;
Whereas 2 decades of global progress in reducing malaria cases and deaths has 
 stalled in recent years;
Whereas young children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to, and 
 disproportionately affected by, malaria, with children younger than 5 
 years of age accounting for 74 percent of malaria deaths each year;
Whereas, since 2000, global investments in malaria intervention programs 
 prevented an estimated 2,200,000,000 malaria cases and 12,700,000 
 malaria-related deaths;
Whereas the United States played a leading role in more than 2 decades of 
 progress toward reducing the global burden of malaria, particularly 
 through the President's Malaria Initiative and contributions to the 
 Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria;
Whereas a record 45 countries and 1 territory have been certified malaria-free 
 and a number of high-burden countries have made remarkable progress, 
 such as--

    (1) Rwanda, with 85 percent fewer cases since 2019;

    (2) India, with 69 percent fewer cases since 2017; and

    (3) Liberia, with 44 percent fewer cases since 2017;

Whereas, as of 2025, there is a suite of new and evolving tools that show great 
 promise in fighting malaria, including next-generation bed nets, 
 diagnostics and treatment, malaria vaccines for young children, spatial 
 repellants, and gene drive technologies;
Whereas recent progress against malaria has stalled due to biological threats, 
 such as insecticide and drug resistance, human factors such as conflict 
 and displacement, and other political and resource factors, which 
 threaten a significant increase in cases;
Whereas there is an average of 2,000 imported cases per year in the United 
 States due to United States citizens who travel, work, and are deployed 
 overseas;
Whereas fighting malaria makes the United States safer by--

    (1) decreasing the risk of illness and death for United States citizens 
who travel, work, and are deployed to endemic regions;

    (2) preventing a resurgence of malaria in the United States, the risk 
of which was illustrated by the local transmission of malaria in Florida, 
Texas, and Maryland in 2023; and

    (3) protecting United States servicemembers and their families abroad, 
who frequently deploy to regions where malaria is endemic;

Whereas fighting malaria makes the United States stronger by--

    (1) enhancing global stability by addressing a root cause of 
destabilization, unrest, and terrorism that threatens United States 
interests and security;

    (2) countering the influence of the People's Republic of China in 
strategic regions targeted by the Belt and Road Initiative; and

    (3) bolstering United States global leadership, strengthening 
alliances, and creating diplomatic leverage; and

Whereas fighting malaria makes the United States more prosperous by--

    (1) driving United States-led innovation, including recent scientific 
breakthroughs that benefit the United States;

    (2) supporting universities, military-based research institutions, 
faith-based organizations, and private-sector companies in the United 
States that have been intrinsically involved, committed, and invested in 
the fight against malaria;

    (3) expanding markets for United States goods and services, with 1 
recent estimate finding that United States exports would grow by 
$1,480,000,000 if global malaria reduction targets are achieved by 2030;

    (4) protecting United States taxpayers by preventing rather than 
responding to outbreaks of malaria, as the median cost of protecting 1 
person from malaria ranges from $0.53 to $5.97, while treatment for each 
case of severe malaria costs approximately $145.23; and

    (5) supporting United States businesses by creating stable markets that 
are more favorable for United States investment: Now, therefore, be it

 Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) supports the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day;

    (2) finds that it is in the national interest of the United 
 States to fight malaria;

    (3) recognizes the importance of reducing malaria 
 prevalence and deaths to improve maternal and child health;

    (4) commends progress made toward reducing global malaria 
 morbidity, mortality, and prevalence, particularly through the 
 efforts of the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global 
 Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria;

    (5) supports efforts to reduce malaria case incidence and 
 mortality rates by not less than 90 percent by 2030;

    (6) commends the efforts and achievements of endemic 
 countries in preventing and treating malaria and supports 
 efforts to increase local ownership over malaria programs with 
 the goal of ultimately graduating from aid to self-sufficiency;

    (7) welcomes public-private partnerships to research and 
 develop more effective and affordable tools for malaria 
 prevention, diagnosis, and treatment; and

    (8) supports and encourages continued leadership by the 
 United States in reducing the global burden of malaria through 
 bilateral, multilateral, and private sector efforts, including 
 through the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund 
 to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
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