Lead in Fuel Phase Out

The World Health Organization, the World Bank and the United Nations Environment Program have made the phasing out of lead in fuel a high priority. ExxonMobil has played a pivotal role securing the Dakar Declaration, and agreement to phase out leaded gasoline in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2005.

Malaria

We contribute to basic research fighting the causes of malaria, and distribute insecticide-treated bed nets to those most vulnerable.

Zambia: Help us Help

Mobil Oil Zambia has launched a program to distribute insecticide-treated bed nets to pregnant mothers and children under five, the group most vulnerable to malaria. The campaign not only aims to educate the population on the causes and danger of malaria, but also to raise the understanding of how treated bed nets can prevent the spread of the disease.

The ExxonMobil Foundation has pledged to give funds, but the public will be able to help too. For every liter purchased, a percentage of the income will be donated to the cause.

Zambia: Help us Help

Mobil Oil Zambia has launched a program to distribute insecticide-treated bed nets to pregnant mothers and children under five, the group most vulnerable to malaria. The campaign not only aims to educate the population on the causes and danger of malaria, but also to raise the understanding of how treated bed nets can prevent the spread of the disease. The ExxonMobil Foundation has pledged to give funds, but the public will be able to help too. For every liter purchased, a percentage of the income will be donated to the cause.

Safety and Health

Our role is to work directly with local governments and other public health providers. To help achieve this, we pioneered a concept called Strategic Health Management. This initiative has now been adopted by the oil industry to provide a framework for incorporating workforce and community health considerations in major project-development plans. Millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa face the threat of contracting malaria. The resurgence of malaria, the knowledge that it is preventable and curable, and the huge costs and suffering it imposes have presented opportunities for meaningful involvement. A critical component of the fight is Roll Back Malaria, launched by WHO together with the governments of several malaria-affected countries, the UN Development Program, UNICEF and the World Bank. For the past two years, we have continued to work with governments, NGOs and local public health experts on enhanced control programs in at-risk regions where we operate:

• Chad - Distributed 32,000 bed nets. Using bed nets impregnated with insecticide is a simple and effective way to reduce malaria incidence. Nurses working for Chad’s National Health Service provide ongoing education in preventing disease.

• Nigeria - Partnered with the New Nigeria Foundation, which has established health clinics in nine Niger Delta states. Insecticide-treated bed nets and prepackaged drugs have been made available.

• Equatorial Guinea - Focused on assisting children under five. Many employees have volunteered to help with bed net distribution.

• Angola - Provided bed nets and antimalarial medicine to the main pediatric hospital in the capital, Luanda.

• Cameroon - Provided 45,000 bed nets and, through the local national organization, educational materials to foster prevention awareness.

In addition to direct public health assistance, we continued funding two drug-related research programs to support the discovery and marketing of new and effective therapies for treating malaria.

• Harvard Malaria Initiative is focusing on the basic science of drug-resistance mechanisms. Recent successful mapping of the malaria parasite’s genome sequence is an important step in this process.

• Medicines for Malaria Venture is aimed at partnering academic and private drug-company researchers to accelerate the marketing of new drugs.