Kenya: DFID Ups Support for Malaria Nets

LONDON, United Kingdom, August 3, 2005 — International Development Secretary Hillary Benn announced today that an additional £19.6 million will be provided to PSI to scale up its insecticide treated net (ITN) program in Kenya, a move that is expected to save the lives of an estimated 167,000 children.

"These bed nets are vital in the fight against malaria," said Benn in a press release issued by the Department for International Development (DFID). "Children should not be put at risk as they sleep. This additional funding means that 11 million nets will be available to over 75% of the vulnerable population by 2007/08, allowing them to sleep safely and free from the threat of malaria."

Studies in Kenya reveal that as many as 20-25% of the country's deaths can be attributed to malaria, and is the leading cause of death for pregnant women and children under five. Since these two groups are most vulnerable to malaria, these additional nets will further PSI's contribution to two of the Millennium Development Goals — reducing the death rate of children under five and decreasing the maternal mortality rate. PSI distributes highly subsidized nets through maternal and child health clinics in Kenya.

PSI/Kenya began malaria prevention activities in 2000 with the launch of Supanet ITNs and has since distributed 3.7 million nets, preventing more than 30,000 malaria deaths.

The new funding brings DFID's total malaria contribution to PSI since 2002 to £47.1 million. Of the new 11 million nets provided with the DFID grant, 6.5 million will be long lasting ITNs, which require re-treatment every four years as opposed to every six months with the regular ITNs.

— Karrie Carnes, PSI/Washington

• Archives

A new grant by the British Department for International Development will allow PSI to distribute 11 million insecticide treated nets to pregnant women and young children, the groups most vulnerable to malaria deaths.