c. 2006 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Imagine if a disease swept across America, taking the life of a young child every 30 seconds. Imagine the outrage, the hysteria, the commitment of resources to stop the horror.

In Africa, it takes no imagination to envision such a disaster. Each year nearly a million children under the age of 5 die from malaria, a preventable and treatable disease.

And that’s why this week’s White House Malaria Summit may be one of the most important and productive meetings held by this administration. At a time when the president is besieged by a variety of opinions on the war in Iraq, first lady Laura Bush is pulling together a coalition of leaders united in their opinion that the war against malaria is winnable and the fight itself is a moral imperative.

To be hosted by the first lady on Thursday (Dec. 14), the White House meeting will include international experts, public health specialists, policy makers, foundations and humanitarian groups. It aims to move forward a plan for controlling the disease. The plan includes a $1.2 billion commitment called the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).

“If you go to a community in Africa and ask them about their greatest concerns, one of the first issues is almost always that their children are dying of malaria,” said Dr. Anne Peterson, senior health adviser of World Vision International.

“World Vision has been working on this issue quietly for years, so we are very grateful that the Global Fund (to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria) and the President’s Malaria Initiative are bringing attention and resources to the issue now.”

Peterson points out that the timing for such an initiative is particularly important after a recent study showed that those who are infected with malaria are more vulnerable to HIV infection.

But what is particularly important is getting the attention of average Americans who can mobilize resources to a fight that lacks visibility and proximity to their self interests.

For the most part, malaria in the United States was eradicated by the middle of the 20th century. People in the developed world rarely think about malaria unless they are traveling to a rural tropical region.

The “malaria belt” wraps a wide swath around the equator, encompassing a good portion of sub-Saharan Africa. A treated bed net that protects a sleeping child from the mostly nocturnal lethal mosquitoes can reduce infections by an estimated 70 percent. The treated nets cost about as much as a cup of Starbuck’s cappuccino, a small amount to an American, but an almost unimaginable price to a poor African.

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Community Church in California, will lend his voice to the cause, speaking at the Malaria Summit and using his considerable influence to rally churches and faith-based groups to the fight against malaria.

Involving faith-based groups is a critical factor to the success of the effort. Says John Bridgeland, CEO of Malaria No More, a co-sponsor of the Summit, “We want to unleash the power of the church networks in the U.S. as well as on the ground through both education and volunteer opportunities.” The group’s Web site, http://www.malarianomore.org, serves as a portal for individuals to get information, donate or be linked to an opportunity to volunteer.

Taking up the fight against malaria will make a tangible difference in the lives of millions of poor people and save the lives of countless children in poor countries. But it is also a cause that is good for this country.

Americans are looking for unity. They want to embrace the moral high ground and fight an enemy that everyone agrees can and should be defeated. They want to agree on an issue irrespective of their political party or their views on more divisive social issues.

That’s why the fight against malaria is one everyone should embrace. It will be good for the people of Africa and other poor countries, and it will be good for us as well.

KRE/JL END BOURKE

(Dale Hanson Bourke is author of “The Skeptic’s Guide to the Global AIDS Crisis.”)

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