United Kingdom Donates $3M for Malaria Prevention, Treatment in Zimbabwe

The United Kingdom Department for International Development on Wednesday announced that it has donated $3 million for malaria prevention and treatment programs in Zimbabwe, the Harare Herald reports (Herald, 2/24). UNICEF said it plans to use the funding to purchase 400,000 insecticide-treatment bed nets to be donated to pregnant women and children under age five, according to a UNICEF release. In addition, the group plans to enhance malaria prevention education and awareness (UNICEF release, 2/24). Using insecticide-treated nets and mosquito repellant are the most cost-effective ways of preventing malaria, according to the Herald. About 50% of Zimbabwe's population lives in malaria-affected areas, but only 7% of children sleep under insecticide-treated nets (Herald, 2/24).