The British government's Department for International Development (DFID), through the Malaria Consortium Partnership (MCP), has provided about 15 million US dollars to support anti-malaria activities in Mozambique over the period 2005-2010, local media reported Tuesday.

A partnership contract for this effect was signed between the Malaria Consortium Mozambique and the "Roll Back Malaria" (RBM) movement, in Maputo on Tuesday.

Under the theme "Developing a Sustainable Market for Mosquito Nets to Prevent Malaria in Mozambique," the Malaria Consortium pledged to supply long lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets intended to protect the most vulnerable groups, particularly pregnant women.

In addition to distributing nets through the Mozambique's national health service, the Consortium will help commercial businesses establish systems for distributing and selling the nets.

In an initial phase from 2005 to 2007, the program will be implemented in three provinces of the country.

The Malaria Consortium hopes that, by December 2007, it will have provided 220,000 nets to pregnant women. In addition, it should have converted 65 percent of the conventional nets in the communities covered by the program into long lasting nets, through further applications of insecticides. Through commercial agents, the Consortium hopes that between 200,000 and 300,000 nets will have been sold.

Source: Xinhua