Monday, July 18, 2011

ExxonMobil establishes new site for malaria treatment in Ghana


As part of its continued effort to combat the devastating impact of malaria on populations in sub-Saharan Africa, the ExxonMobil Foundation announced today a donation of $500,000 to establish a malaria diagnostic laboratory for the HopeXchange Medical Center at its health facility in Kumasi, Ghana.

“ExxonMobil has been a leader in the fight against malaria”

ExxonMobil’s contribution will provide HopeXchange, an institution dedicated to malaria prevention and treatment, with resources to improve malaria diagnosis. The center will also serve as a site for clinical trials of anti-malarial drugs using internationally recognized best clinical practices.


“Improved malaria diagnosis is critical to decreasing mortality rates of this preventable disease,” said Suzanne McCarron, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation. “We are committed to fighting malaria, and with our support, the Center’s new diagnostic laboratory will make life-saving treatments more accessible and readily available.”

Though there have been improvements in diagnosis and treatment over the past decade, malaria remains a global threat affecting millions of people. An estimated 800,000 people die every year from malaria, most of them children under the age of 5. The disease accounts for about 40 percent of sub-Saharan Africa's health expenditures and costs an estimated $12 billion in lost productivity annually.

“ExxonMobil has been a leader in the fight against malaria,” said Mario Cappello, president and CEO of HopeXchange. “Its contribution is a powerful example of a partnership that connects not only resources, but also valuable business expertise in the global fight.”

Since 2000, ExxonMobil has committed more than $100 million for programs to fight malaria. The company supports a wide range of prevention, treatment and advocacy programs to end deaths from this disease. ExxonMobil’s funding supports partners who help improve the delivery and use of prevention tools such as bed nets; provide technical assistance to help countries increase their capacity to control malaria; and facilitate the monitoring and promotion of progress through integrated communications programs.

| Exxon

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