I want to talk about something close to my heart — the fight against malaria. I went to Africa last year, where malaria is a big risk. I saw firsthand this deadly disease, responsible for killing 3,000 children a day, or almost three million people every year. This is from a preventable disease.
Fifty percent of the world’s population is at risk and children younger than 5 are extra vulnerable. Put it into this perspective: If malaria was concentrated to Washington state, in one year about half of Washington’s population would be gone, just from malaria. We have the means to help stop this horrible killer, and I believe we should. Part of the less than 1 percent of our country’s budget spent on foreign aid goes to provide mosquito nets and the malaria medicine that will help us save many lives that otherwise would have been lost.
I urge Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., to protect the funds for these lifesaving programs.
Elizabeth Voth
Kelso
