JAPANESE FUNDS TO HELP UNICEF FIGHT MALARIA IN SUDAN

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has received a $4.5 million grant from the Japanese government for vaccines, malaria remedies and other healthcare services for millions of people in northern Sudan.

The African nation experiences about 7 million cases of malaria each year. The grant will be used to provide vital malaria treatment for about 350,000 people, as well as to distribute nets treated with insecticide. The funds will also help train local health workers and supply essential immunizations.

Japan has already contributed more than $10 million this year to UNICEF activities in Sudan. Elsewhere on the African continent, Japan this recently gave UNICEF a $4.2 million grant for polio immunizations and malaria prevention work in Nigeria.