WASHINGTON, May 31 The U.S. government is helping Senegal launch its first large-scale, community based anti-malaria program in 50 years.
The program began this week with indoor residual spraying in the village of Keur Moussa and with the delivery of 200,000 insecticide-treated bed nets in outlying areas of the nation's capital, Dakar.
This year, Senegal -- where malaria accounts for more deaths than any other single cause -- will receive $16.7 million in U.S. assistance.
"This is a significant step to protect children and their families where malaria is the biggest killer of children and a leading cause of death among adults too," said retired U.S. Navy Adm. Tim Ziemer, coordinator of the President ' s Malaria Initiative. The malaria initiative is also supporting national malaria control spraying operations in Angola, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Madagascar, with an additional seven countries to soon begin receiving support.
The program is designed to help cut malaria-related deaths by 50 percent in 15 African nations.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
