Glenn Thompson: “Recently I met with a constituent who works with the grassroots organization Nothing But Nets, which raises awareness in…”

“Recently I met with a constituent who works with the grassroots organization Nothing But Nets, which raises awareness in the fight against malaria. As you may know, malaria is transmitted to people through mosquitoes carrying the disease. In 2016, there were 216 million new cases of malaria worldwide and 445,000 deaths, 70 percent of which were children under five. Malaria takes the life of a child every 2 minutes. Most malaria cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, but Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East are also at risk. Malaria is a treatable, preventable disease, but half the world's population lives in danger of contracting the parasite from a simple mosquito bite. U.S. leadership is critical to the elimination of malaria around the world and we have helped to create and expand lifesaving interventions like long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor residual spray, and rapid diagnostic tests. Our continued leadership is critical in finally eliminating malaria around the world. I look forward to the day when we can eradicate malaria once and for all. ____________________”