Last week, a new malaria elimination plan was launched that will see more than four million lives can be saved by 2015 if resources are scaled up.

The international community attending the UN Summit in New York launched the Global Malaria Action Plan (GMAP) before government leaders and heads of government at the historic summit.

The report details how to accelerate action against malaria, across countries and regions, leading to elimination of the disease. Developed through the framework of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership, it rallies 30 endemic countries and regions and 65 international institutions behind an unprecedented effort to achieve more rapid results against malaria.

Malaria killing over 3,000 children each day in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Statistics show that the disease causes about 400-900 million cases of fever and approximately one to three million deaths annually- this represents at least one death every 30 seconds.

The vast majority of cases occur in children under the age of 5 years.

The exact number of cases affected by malaria is still sketchy because many cases occur in rural areas where people do not have access to hospitals or the means to afford health care.

Added to this is the fact that many cases go undocumented. The numbers are mind-boggling as is the devastating effect.

Malaria is not just a disease commonly associated with poverty, but is also a cause of poverty and a major hindrance to economic development.

The economic impact of malaria has been estimated to cost Africa US$12 billion every year.

This impact includes cost of health care, working days lost due to sickness, days lost in education, decreased productivity due to brain damage from cerebral malaria, and loss of investment and tourism.

Now, GMAP's projects thatmore than 4.2 million lives can be saved between 2008 and 2015, if the plan is put into action. In addition, millions of dollars of lost GDP can be recovered and critical healthcare resources freed up in regions to tackle other health and social challenges.

During the New York launch event, co-hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Malaria No More leaders from political social and business groups are coming out to be part of this great fight and initiative and be part of the RBM plan. Let's roll malaria back together!