UN secretary general marks World Malaria Day

UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon has called for all of Africa to have access to basic malaria controls by the end of 2010.

In a statement to mark UN World Malaria Day, celebrated on April 25th, he launched his new initiative offering household sprays and bed nets treated with insecticide to "all people at risk, especially women and children in Africa".

The Wold Health Organisation estimates that malaria kills 1.3 million people each year in African countries.

Mr Ban said that several African countries "have made dramatic strides in malaria control, but the most affected nations remain off track to reach the goal of halting and reversing the incidence of the disease".

There is already existing UN Millennium Development Goals which aim to halve poverty and improve the quality of life worldwide by 2015.

One of the eight goals is to halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.