Dec 18, 2006

Bush Ramps Up Anti-Malaria Initiative

by Laura Starita

Generations from now, when schoolchildren study the Bush presidency, words such as Iraq and terrorism will likely remain front and center. But that would be a shame. The Bush administration should also be remembered for an unprecedented increase in American aid to impoverished regions. Specifically aid to Africa has increased threefold in the last seven years.

Now, we would be the first to say that giving money is not enough, it also has to be well spent. Which is why initiatives like the $1.2 billion President’s Malaria Initiative deserves special notice. It is aimed at eradicating malaria in regions prone to the disease through a multipronged effort of treatment and prevention. The project is also reaching out to private donors to add to the pool of resources. While results are what matter, the history of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which now cares for more people living with HIV in the developing world than all other programs combined, makes this malaria initiative highly credible.

Washington Post: Bush Renews Effort to Combat Malaria