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Global Fund gives Zambia 17.6 mln USD to fight malaria

Xinhua, November 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Thursday gave Zambia 17.6 million U.S. dollars to help the southern African nation fight malaria.

Zambia is among eight African countries that received funding from the Global Fund following the successful signing of the grants by member states on the sidelines of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) Elimination Eight meeting held in Botswana, according to state broadcaster, the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation.

Elimination Eight is a group of eight African countries spearheading the elimination of malaria in the region. The other countries include Botswana, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Chitalu Chilufya, Deputy Minister of Health, who signed on behalf of the Zambian government, said the grant will help improve malaria surveillance systems in the country as well as help to build the human resource capacity.

Statistics indicate that deaths resulting from malaria have significantly reduced in Zambia, he added.

Mark Edignton, Global Fund Grant Management Division Head said after the signing ceremony that the Global Fund is happy to support efforts aimed at eliminating malaria.

Richard Kamur, Elimination Eight Ambassador commended African countries for the efforts they are making in the fight against malaria but expressed concern that the disease has remained one of the fastest killer diseases on the continent despite the various interventions being pursued at national and international levels.

The Global Fund was established in 2002 as a unique public-private partnership and international financing institution dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Zambia has been a partner of the Global Fund since 2003.

Though Zambia has made strides in malaria prevention and control in recent years, the disease still kills more children under the age of five than any other disease or illness. Malaria affects more than 4 million Zambians annually, accounting for approximately 30 percent of out-patient hospital visits and resulting in almost 8,000 deaths each year. Endit