Press release
Admiral R. Timothy Ziemer, new U.S. Malaria Coordinator, visits Senegal
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U.S. Malaria Coordinator, Admiral R. Timothy Ziemer, left, and
USAID/Senegal Director, Olivier Carduner, address residents outside the health
hut in Yabo Yabo, in Senegal's health district of Thiadiaye. The community performed
skits and songs conveying messages on how best to prevent and treat malaria among
children and pregnant women. Photo: R. Nyberg, USAID
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DAKAR, July 24, 2006 -- Admiral R. Timothy Ziemer, the newly-appointed
U.S. Malaria Coordinator, visited Senegal last week on his first field trip to
the country to discuss and introduce President Bush’s new malaria initiative
for Africa with representatives of the Government of Senegal.
On June 30, 2005, the U.S. Government announced a five-year, $1.2 billion Presidential
Malaria Initiative (PMI) led by USAID with the participation of CDC/U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services as well as other U.S. Government agencies to rapidly
scale up malaria prevention and treatment interventions in 15 high-burden countries
in sub-Saharan Africa. The goal of this Initiative is to reduce malaria-related
mortality by 50% after three years of full implementation in each country. This
will be achieved by reaching 85% coverage of the most vulnerable groups---children
under five years of age, pregnant women, and people living with HIV/AIDS---with
proven preventive and therapeutic interventions, including artemisinin-based combination
therapies (ACTs), insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), intermittent preventive treatment
(IPT) of pregnant women, and indoor residual spraying (IRS). As of October this
year, the Initiative will operate in Senegal and six other African countries:
Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Senegal’s inclusion
was announced by Mrs. Laura Bush last month.
“I am encouraged by the strength of the national malaria program,”
Mr. Ziemer said after discussions with officials and after touring several health
facilities in the country. “We are looking forward to coming alongside the
Government of Senegal and other partners to meet the objectives of PMI and the
national malaria program for the benefit of the Senegalese people.”
Mr. Ziemer comes to USAID after a distinguished 31-year career in the U.S.
Navy where he reached the position of Rear Admiral. Most recently, he served as
Executive Director of World Relief, whose work with local churches in the United
States and around the world in the areas of disaster relief, refugee assistance,
AIDS ministries, among other services, creates sustainable solutions that help
the poor.
Current USAID malaria program in Senegal
Malaria is a primary cause of death of women and children in Senegal. It is responsible
for a third of health facility consultations and accounts for between 20% and
30% of mortality. Malaria also accounts for more than a 1% reduction in GDP. In
the past, USAID’s health program has expended about $2.2 million annually
for programs at both the clinical and community levels to prevent and treat the
disease. USAID works closely with the Ministry of Health and other partners, most
notably the Global Fund and the World Bank. Current USAID efforts include three
of the four PMI hallmark approaches – insecticide-treated nets, artemisinin-based
combination therapies, and intermittent preventive treatment of pregnant women.
The new PMI funding will allow USAID to reach a much larger population with these
life-saving interventions, and to add protective indoor residual spraying in Senegal’s
fight against malaria.
The USAID-supported 2005 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) showed that 83%
of pregnant women took an anti-malarial drug during their most recent pregnancy,
with 21% taking the PMI-recommended drug. And, thanks to a Global Fund grant,
artemisinin-based combination therapies are now used in every public health clinic
in Senegal. In many USAID supported areas, these drugs, and the training to use
them properly, are available at the community level in health huts.
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