Kuito — The head of the department of public health and control of endemic diseases, Celeste Pataca informed Monday that 335 people died in the southern Bié province, in the first quarter of 2007, as a result of malaria, 81 more deaths compared to the same period of the previous year.

Celeste Pataca added that this increase was due to the fact that the province still does not have the new medicine called "Coartem" for malaria treatment.

The director informed that in the same period, local health authorities registered 41,525 news cases of malaria at all health units of Bié province.

The source also said that the reduction of cases is a result of awareness campaigns to the population about the cares to be taken so as to avoid and treat people infected by this disease.