£1.6 billion boost to malaria fight
Last updated 29/09/2008 08:24:11
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£1.6 billion boost to malaria fight (c) Achim Kram
The fight against malaria has been given a huge boost with world leaders and philanthropists pledging nearly £1.6 billion at a summit in New York.
The crucial funding, agreed at the UN, includes £598m from the World Bank and £870m from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The British government and private organisations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have promised the rest. Donors hope the money will be enough to eradicate malaria by 2015.
The World Health Organization says that Malaria still kills more than a million people each year and these donations will be used to support rapid implementation of the first ever Global Malaria Action Plan (Gmap).
World Bank President Robert Zoellick said the extra money would help "sharply reduce the numbers of malaria-related deaths and illness" in the next three years.
Gmap estimates that 4.2 million lives can be saved between 2008 and 2015 - and in the longer term, it will be possible eradicate the disease.