Abuja — Determined to fight the spread of death and other consequences of malaria, the Nigeria Inter-Faith Action Association, (NIFAA), has collaborated with the World Bank and the Ministry of Health to conduct a nationwide campaign to stop the spread and deaths caused by malaria across the country.

Briefing pressmen yesterday on the action plan, the Executive Director of NIFAA, Bishop (Dr) Sunday Onuoha, lamented that over 300,000 people die annually from the effect of malaria, adding that the association was stirred to action by the alarming rate of casualties claimed by the attack of the disease.

NIFAA is a Nigerian religious body in relationship with international collaborators dealing with poverty and health related issues.

Bishop Onuoha said that the World Bank has graciously agreed to partner with the association by lending financial support to the task of eradicating malaria in all areas of the country.

"The World Bank has showed interest in the project by providing resources that have never been provided anywhere in the world to fight malaria."

"300,000 people die annually from malaria. We can't continue to watch that happen without doing something," he said.

Speaking at the briefing, the Country Director of World Bank, Mr Onno Ruhl, stressed that it is out of the need to eliminate malaria as a public health threat, that the World Bank decided to commit funds running to $280million to provide two mosquito treated nets to every household in each state of the federation at no cost to the recipients as well as diagnosis and treatment of affected persons through distribution of highly, effective malaria treatment drugs.

He added that every life lost to the scourge of malaria is a needless one since it can be prevented and has a cure, hence, the decision of the bank to embark on a partnership with NIFAA to save lives.

According to him, Kano , Ekiti and Anambra States have already benefited from the programme. The campaign programme is expected to run till 2010.