Awka — Three states, Anambra, Lagos and Kano, have been selected for the pilot programme by the Department for International Development (DFID) for the eradication of the malaria scourge in Nigeria.

Eight states would eventually participate in the programme. A member of the British parliament and chief executive of the Malaria Consortium, a non-governmental organi-zation (NGO), Sir Stephen O'Brien, said in Awka that the world could no longer keep quiet while malaria continues to devastate many parts of the globe.

It is estimated that a child dies from malaria every 30 seconds in about 90 countries, with 40 percent of the world population being at risk.

According to O'Brien, "it is a disease that has been with mankind and we have a new chance of tackling the problem", regretting that although there had been efforts made in the past to fight the disease, the problem has continued to persist.

"This is an opportunity we have to prevent malaria from spreading further and we have the mandate of our people to make the difference", he said.