Washington, D.C. — Dr. William (Bill) Steiger, Chief Executive Officer of Malaria No More, issued the following statement upon the confirmation of Dr. Erica Schwartz as Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
On behalf of Malaria No More, I congratulate Dr. Erica Schwartz upon her confirmation as Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Her confirmation comes at a critical moment for global public health. The latest outbreak of Ebola is a chilling reminder of just how fast dangerous pathogens can spread. It is essential to the health and safety of every American that the CDC remains fully engaged in the global surveillance and control of infectious diseases.
We were pleased to hear Dr. Schwartz reflect on the CDC’s founding mission — the elimination of malaria in the United States — during her nomination hearing, a goal only accomplished in 1951. With deep expertise in malaria, the CDC is uniquely capable of helping to consign this disease to history in the rest of the world, where it remains a leading cause of severe illness and death for children.
We look forward to continuing to support the CDC’s lifesaving work under Dr. Schwartz’s leadership.
About Malaria No More
Malaria No More envisions a world where no one dies from a mosquito bite. Twenty years into our mission, our work has helped drive historic progress toward this goal. Now, we’re mobilizing the political commitment, funding, and innovation required to achieve one of the greatest humanitarian accomplishments of our time — ending malaria for good.