A SENIOR WORLD BANK OFFICIAL ON MONDAY DECLARED THE MALARIA SITUATION IN AFRICA TO BE URGENT AND SAID EVERY EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE TO REDUCE ITS BURDEN ON THE REGION, DPA REPORTED. SPEAKING DURING A VIDEO CONFERENCE MONDAY FROM WASHINGTON WITH JOURNALISTS FROM NIGERIA, ZAMBIA AND THE US, THE BANK'S VICE- PRESIDENT FOR AFRICA, GOBIND NANKANI, SAID THE PREVENTABLE DISEASE WAS WEIGHING HEAVILY ON THE HEALTH SYSTEMS OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES. THE DISEASE KILLS ONE AFRICAN CHILD EVERY 30 SECONDS AND COSTS THE CONTINENT MORE THAN 10 BILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY, HE NOTED. NANKANI SAID, HOWEVER, THAT THE SITUATION WAS MANAGEABLE AND PLEDGED THE BANK'S CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR AFRICAN COUNTRIES IN THEIR EFFORTS TO COMBAT THE DISEASE. THE BANK HAD PROPOSED A 180-MILLION-DOLLAR MALARIA CONTROL PROJECT TO ITS BOARD AT THE REQUEST OF NIGERIA, WHICH IF APPROVED, WOULD BE AFRICA'S LARGEST SINGLE ANTI-MALARIA CAMPAIGN TO DATE, HE SAID. NIGERIA'S MINISTER OF HEALTH EYITAYO LAMBO SAID HIS COUNTRY HAD MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN EDUCATING THE POPULATION ABOUT THE DANGERS OF MALARIA, OBTAINING POLITICAL COMMITMENT TO FIGHTING THE DISEASE AND IMPLEMENTING CHANGES IN TREATMENT METHODS. NIGERIA ALSO PLANS TO SCALE UP ITS ROLL-BACK-MALARIA PROGRAMME FROM 2006-2010, HE SAID. THE 316-MILLION-DOLLAR PROJECT WOULD FOCUS MAINLY ON PREVENTION, TREATMENT, EDUCATION, AND THE STRENGTHENING OF NIGERIA'S HEALTH SYSTEM, LAMBO SAID.
