President Bush Discusses Fight Against Malaria With Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

President George W. Bush meets with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of the Republic of Liberia in the Oval Office, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007. President Sirleaf is Africa’s first elected female head of state. (White House photo by Eric Draper)

October 19, 2007 – In a meeting in the Oval Office, President Bush told Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Thursday the United States was committed to helping relieve debt and fight malaria, and soon will send Peace Corps volunteers back into the African nation. The President outlined plans to implement his international initiative to battle malaria, what he called “a death that we can cure,” in Liberia with long-lasting, treated bednets and insecticide. “Young babies die on the continent of Africa and elsewhere needlessly – they die simply because of a mosquito bite,” Bush said. Liberia is one of the 15 focus countries of President Bush’s Malaria Initiative. President Sirleaf, who also took a walk with Bush on the South Lawn after their meeting, thanked the U.S. Government for its assistance in getting debt relief, improving education and repairing infrastructure.

For more information:

• President Bush’s remarks at meeting with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (White House)

Last revised: October 19, 2007