USD3 Billion Malaria Initiative Unveiled

The United Nations meeting on the Millennium Development Goals saw the announcement of a nearly USD3 billion initiative to wipe out malaria by 2015. The program has the backing of various donor agencies and focuses on introducing an anti-malaria vaccine. It will benefit from USD1.62 billion in grants from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in the next two years and USD1.1 billion in World Bank funding over a three-year period. Bill Gates also donated USD168.7 million for the development of vaccines that will completely immunize babies against malaria soon after birth. (“World leaders announce USD3bn plan to end malaria deaths by 2015” - Guardian, Sept. 25, 2008)