Ethiopia: Financial Support for Nation to Fight Malaria

Ethiopia has been given a US$100 million grant to help control the spread of malaria.

The grant from the United States has been made to United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to be used to support Ethiopia's National Strategic Plan for Malaria Prevention (2011-2015). "22 million Ethiopians living in malaria risk areas will benefit from life-saving insecticide treated bed nets, rapid diagnostic tests, and medicine", said the US Ambassador to Ethiopia, Donald Booth.

The funds will help to buy and distribute 11 million long-lasting insecticide treated nets as well as the procurement of 12.6 million courses of Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACT) and 16.5 million multi-species Rapid Diagnostic Tests and other anti-malarial drugs.

The UNICEF representative in Ethiopia, Peter Salama, said the grant will be disbursed over the next five years. "The goal is to consolidate the achievements made so far and to contribute to a further reduction of malaria morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia," he said. Ethiopia's Health Minister Kesetebirhan Admasu welcomed the grant noting that fighting malaria was a critical investment for the country.

He thanked the United States government and UNICEF for their contributions in helping to reduce the number of deaths and illness related to malaria.

Official data shows that the results of malaria prevention and control have been encouraging. Outpatient malaria illness had declined by more than 48 percent, and severe malaria attacks have decreased by more than 62 percent since 2004.