In an attempt to eradicate malaria from Africa, Exxon Mobil, a leading private sector investor in malaria has committed $10million to support lifesaving programmes across Africa and the Pacific Rim.
Unprecedented commitment from the global community in the past decade had led to a 45 percent reduction in malaria mortality worldwide since 2000, yet the disease is still a leading cause of death among children.
Beyond lives lost, the disease costs sub-Saharan Africa billions of dollars in lost gross domestic product (GDP) and accounts for as much as 40 percent of public health expenditures in some countries.
As a result of the threat malaria poses to health and economic development in these areas, Exxon Mobile and Exxon Foundation had dedicated the grants to support a wide range of research, advocacy, treatment and prevention programmes to accelerate progress in the fight against malaria, which still claims more than 627,000 lives each year, mostly children under the age of five.
These initiatives would also be provided with business expertise and insights to strengthen them and drive a comprehensive response to the disease for deeper impact in local communities and around the world.
This was contained in a press release copied to DAILY GUIDE recently by the media relations department of Exxon Mobil Corporation.
The President of the Exxon Mobil Foundation, Suzanne McCarron, noted that the company’s support for innovative programmes to control and one day eliminate deaths from this preventable and treatable disease stems from the harm malaria was causing to families and communities, including their workers across the world.
As a result, the multibillion and multinational company believes that ‘together, we (Exxon Mobil and partners) are investing in sustainable solutions to help people live a healthy life without the burden of malaria,’ says Suzanne McCarron.
From Fred Duodu, Ho ( [email protected] mailto:[email protected] )
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