ExxonMobil Provides Funding for The Harvard Malaria Initiative, Medicines for Malaria Venture, and Roll Back Malaria

BOSTON April 17, 2001 -- Three key programs in malaria prevention, the Harvard Malaria Initiative, Medicines for Malaria Venture, and Roll Back Malaria, announced today their partnerships with ExxonMobil in the fight against one of the world's most serious diseases.

The ExxonMobil funding, announced at the Harvard School of Public Health by Edward F. Ahnert, President, ExxonMobil Foundation, will support the accelerated development of new antimalarial drugs and malarial vaccines and strengthen on-the-ground programs for malaria prevention and treatment in five sub-Saharan African countries where ExxonMobil has major exploration and production operations: Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria.

The funding includes $1 million for the Harvard Malaria Initiative and $300,000 for Medicines for Malaria Venture. ExxonMobil teams also will work with host governments and the local Roll Back Malaria partnerships to contribute to the new malaria control efforts in the five countries. ExxonMobil's commitment to the Harvard Malaria Initiative, Medicines for Malaria Venture and Roll Back Malaria will help to increase awareness of the disease, strengthen research and prevention programs, and establish a public-private partnership for in-country programs.

"From its own experience in sub-Saharan Africa, ExxonMobil realizes that the malaria epidemic is a real issue and has sought out groups who are working to make a difference," said Dyann Wirth, Ph.D., Director of the Harvard Malaria Initiative. In addition to providing funding for the Harvard Malaria Initiative, Medicines for Malaria Venture, and partnering with Roll Back Malaria, ExxonMobil hopes that its commitment to malaria prevention programs will encourage other private-sector companies to become involved. "We are committed to being an active partner in the global challenge to fight malaria, and we are very pleased to provide this funding and the support of our ExxonMobil companies in Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria," said Mr. Ahnert. "We have long supported programs that address public health issues worldwide, because we know that public health is a cornerstone of opportunity and achievement.Public-private partnerships can result in improved health programs and sustained results for local populations, and we believe that our malaria initiative will demonstrate that corporate investment can make a difference in achieving important public health goals."

Although malaria is a curable disease if promptly diagnosed and adequately treated, there are more cases of malaria in Africa today than at any time in recorded history. Forty percent of the world's population is at risk. In 2001, more than 300 million new cases will occur and more than one million people will die from the disease, of whom the majority will be young children. Ninety percent of the deaths will occur in Africa, south of the Sahara. Although eradicated in many countries, including the U.S. in the 1950s, the increasing resistance of the malaria parasite to drug therapies makes the disease a global public health concern of immense proportions. In addition to the extremely high rate of infection and death, malaria cripples developing economies through the enormous cost in medical expenses and days of labor lost. It is estimated that each year the direct and indirect costs of malaria drain $2 billion from the economies of sub-Saharan African countries.