ANTANANARIVO— The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), led by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), today released its tenth annual report, documenting progress across its programs including in Madagascar.  Since 2004, Madagascar has reduced mortality among children under five by 23 percent as a direct result of action by the government, communities, donors, and partners.  Malaria is a major killer of young children, and during pregnancy malaria can pose a serious, life-threatening risk to a woman and her baby.

The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) works with Madagascar’s national malaria program to scale-up proven, cost-effective, and life-saving malaria control interventions, namely long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets, indoor residual spraying with insecticides, preventive treatment for pregnant women, diagnostic testing, and treatment for malaria infections.

President Bush created the PMI in 2005 when the disease was almost certainly a death sentence for most poor children in Africa.  President Obama then significantly expanded the initiative.  Today, PMI supports 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and countries in the Greater Mekong sub-region of southeast Asia.

Through PMI, hundreds of millions of people have benefited from protective measures and have been diagnosed and treated for malaria. Since 2000, the number of children who die from the disease has fallen by more than 50 percent and more than six million lives have been saved.  A 2013 survey found that 71percent of children under five in Madagascar were sleeping under a bed net, compared to 58 percent in 2009 (Demographic and Health Survey 2008-2009).  Last year USAID distributed 6.3 million bed nets in Madagascar, protecting approximately 12 million people from malaria.  A rapid expansion in diagnostic testing and in the availability of antimalarial medicines has also allowed many more people to access timely and appropriate treatment.

The U.S. Government, through PMI, stands as a steadfast partner in the global fight against malaria, working together with host country governments and the broader malaria partnership to maintain the momentum for malaria elimination. The U.S. Government remains firmly dedicated to fighting malaria and saving lives with Madagascar.