Barack Obama said that he would pledge to end malaria deaths around the world by 2015 if he becomes president.
Obama made his remarks Thursday via satellite at the Clinton Global Initiative, the annual summit of world leaders in the public and private sector in New York.
“”It’s time to rid the world of death from a disease that doesn’t have to take lives,” Obama said. “The United States must lead, and when I am President we will step up our focus on prevention and treatment around the world to get this done.”
Each year, more than one million people die from malaria, most of them children in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Obama said he would increase funding for bednets that help keep mosquitos from infecting people with the disease, for the training of doctors and nurses and for the development of vaccines.
Obama added that governments and businesses around the world would have roles to play.