Benin completes massive anti-malaria campaign

Benin has completed one of its largest ever anti-malaria campaigns, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Over the course of a three day period, more than 1.6 million long lasting insecticide-treated bed nets were handed out from 4,000 distribution posts nationwide.

And the campaign also involved the provision of vitamin A supplements and de-worming treatments.

"This campaign is a unique opportunity backed by strong political will," said UNICEF's representative in Benin, Dr Souleymane Diallo. "We should seize this occasion to reduce infantile mortality and morbidity," she added.

UNICEF statistics reveal that one in five of Benin's children are killed by malaria, with the disease causing the deaths of at least 800,000 children under five across sub-Saharan Africa every year.

However, the organisation also recently reported significant progress in the fight against malaria across the region, with production of insecticide-treated bed nets doubling between 2004 and 2006.

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