Tanzania is to get 397 million US dollars from the Global Fund to fight the three killer diseases of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, a local official said on Wednesday.

The money will be spent on the country's anti-AIDS and anti-malaria programs, said Charles Rajabu, media coordinator of the prime minister's office.

In this year alone, 293 million dollars of the pledged total will be allocated to Tanzania.

Despite its continuing efforts in the fight against these deadly diseases, Tanzania still suffers from AIDS and malaria which claim 140,000 lives and 100,000 lives respectively each year.

In 2003, 65,000 cases of tuberculosis were reported in the east African country.

The Global Fund is holding its ninth executive board meeting in Arusha, northern Tanzania, on Wednesday and Thursday to formulate new strategies on how to fight the killer diseases more effectively.

Source: Xinhua