Pledges to Fight Malaria Not Kept

Millions of children's lives are being lost or blighted because pledges to take action to curb the spread of malaria have not been kept, either by heads of state in poor countries or by wealthy donor states, a leading economist claimed yesterday.

Jeffrey Sachs, special adviser to the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, launched a hard-hitting attack on leaders in both the affluent north and the poor south on the eve of a UN general assembly session on malaria which will assess progress since the pledges two years ago at an African summit on malaria.

The summit in Nigeria committed the African leaders to reduce or waive taxes for bednets to protect children from malarial mosquitos which bite at night. Seventeen countries have complied, but 26 are still charging taxes, Mr Sachs said.

The politicians pledged two years ago that by 2005 at least 60% of those at risk of malaria, and particularly children under five and pregnant women, should have access to an insecticide-treated bed net. A draft report from Mr Annan's office says only 5% or less have bed nets in 24 countries.

Mr Sachs said rich countries had not kept their word either. The World Bank promised $500m to fight malaria, but had "come nowhere near meeting this pledge". Of donor states, only Ireland had paid in full the money it promised.

Malaria causes nearly one million deaths a year and costs Africa more than $12bn a year. It could be controlled for a fraction of that amount.