Firms join fight against malaria

Pharmaceutical and IT firms have joined forces in the fight against malaria.

IBM, Vodafone and Novartis have teamed up to help battle the disease in Tanzania.

The firms have joined with the Roll Back Malaria Partnership to put the SMS for Life project in place.

This service enables the supply of malarial treatments to be tracked through mobile phones and the internet.

Healthcare workers will receive automated reminders to check levels of medication as part of the initiative.

The scheme will be used as part of a five-month trial in 135 Tanzanian villages.

Peter Ward, IBM's SMS For Life project manager, said: "After spending time on the ground, we created a project plan, developed the application with Vodafone and Novartis and established the best way to deliver the pilot, working with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health. We expect other countries will also be able to benefit in the future."

Earlier this week, UNICEF warned that a lack of bed nets could result in a malaria emergency in Sierra Leone.

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