Government and Corporate Support Together Help Africans Battling Mal...( McKesson Corp. Executives and Zambian...),Health

McKesson Corp. Executives and Zambian Caregiver Speak with U.S. Leaders for

World Malaria Day World Vision urges U.S. Senate to pass Global AIDS, TB and Malaria Bill

WASHINGTON, April 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A volunteer nurse from Zambia and executives from the healthcare company McKesson Corp. spoke with lawmakers in Washington to emphasize the importance of joint efforts in the fight against malaria and AIDS, at meetings organized by the international humanitarian agency World Vision in recognition of World Malaria Day.

Ron Simpson, Vice President of Sales for McKesson's Medical-Surgical unit, and Lister Namutowe Chingangu, founder of a home-based caregiver organization in Lusaka, Zambia, emphasized the impact of public-private partnerships in responding to the global AIDS and malaria crises. They joined World Vision's global health policy advocates to urge continued U.S. support of lifesaving programs abroad.

"We have seen first-hand how the devastating effects of malaria, HIV and AIDS in developing nations and communities can be overcome when governments, corporations, communities and churches work together," said Joseph Mettimano, Vice President of Advocacy for World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization that works in almost 100 countries.

"When U.S. government support is matched with the help and funding of corporate partners such as McKesson and others to procure medications, health supplies, bed nets and other tools, the progress in fighting the spread of malaria and caring for the chronically ill picks up momentum and reaches many more lives."

Malaria kills a child every 30 seconds, and together, the AIDS pandemic and malaria cause more than 3 million deaths a year.

World Vision is calling on the U.S. Senate to act quickly to reauthorize the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) before it expires this year. The House has already approved the bill, known
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