By Kent Mensah, AfricaNews editor in Accra, Ghana office
The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria has released 336 million us dollar to Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Nigeria to purchase more than 50 million long-lasting insecticidal nets in the next few months. The move amounts to a 2/3 increase of the number of bed nets in Africa, writes AfricaNews Saturday.
According to a statement from the Global Fund office: “The funds are expected to pay for 26 million long-lasting insecticidal nets in Nigeria, 11 million in Ethiopia, 7,3 million in Uganda, 4,8 million in Tanzania and 1 million in Kenya. This will help these countries move towards universal coverage targets of 80 per cent coverage of long-lasting insecticidal nets by 2010.
Each day approximately 2.200 Africans die from malaria, 85 per cent are children under 5 years of age. Malaria has been estimated to cost Africa more than 12 billion US dollar every year in lost GDP, even though it could be controlled for a fraction of that sum. In countries that have conducted mass distribution of bed nets containing insecticides, deaths from malaria have dropped dramatically in a short period of time.
Den Globale Fond til bekæmpelse af aids, tuberkulosis og malaria er et samarbejde mellem regeringer, civilsamfund, og den private sektor. Fonden blev stiftet i 202 og har iværksat 572 programmer i 140 lande. (Red.)
