Development Partners To Commit $1B for Global Malaria Control Efforts
A group of international development partners plans to commit $1 billion this year for global efforts to control malaria, especially among pregnant women and children in Africa, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Kul Gautam said recently, This Day reports. Speaking in Abuja, Nigeria, Gautam said the group decided to provide the funding because of the high cost of artemisinin-based combination therapies. UNICEF already has purchased 19 million insecticide-treated nets for distribution in Africa and other regions, Gautam said. He added that the agency has provided training for health workers on malaria control. Gautam also urged the Nigerian government to eliminate taxes on ITNs and antiretroviral drug imports, as well as to include funding for ACTs in its national health budget (Oddittah, This Day, 5/15).
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