Jim Inhofe: “somewhere in the world a child dies from malaria every 30 seconds. The disease debilitates more than 500 million people…”

“somewhere in the world a child dies from malaria every 30 seconds. The disease debilitates more than 500 million people annually and kills well over 1 million of them. Suffering most acutely from this epidemic is the continent of Africa where 90 percent of the world's malaria deaths occur. In fact, malaria is the No. 1 killer of pregnant women and children under the age of 5 in Africa. I have personally visited nearly 20 countries in Africa. Everywhere you go there, children have it. These trips have changed statistics into incomprehensible reality for me. Malaria--a debilitating and deadly disease--is a huge problem. I recently heard from a young boy in Ghana named Ibrahim who has accepted the dismal reality of dealing with malaria. ``Malaria is just a part of life,'' Ibrahim told me. The United States has been concerned about this problem for many years. The United States Agency for International Development, USAID, budget to fight this disease has increased nearly fivefold since 1998 to $90 million in 2005. However, the incidence of malaria continues to increase alarmingly in underdeveloped African countries. Unequivocally, the current strategy is not working. USAID spends 90 percent of its money on advice giving, conferences, and technical assistance, but not on direct interventions that produce significant results. Insecticides to preempt malaria are cheap. Drugs to cure malaria can be purchased for $2--less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks.…”