World Bank announces $520 million project to combat diseases in India

Mumbai: The World Bank has announced a $520 million scheme to help combat Malaria and other fatal diseases in India, the largest such project by the multilateral lending agency in any country.

The project will provided prevention services and treatment to over 100 million people in India under the scheme designed by the government, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tubercluosis and Malaria.

More than two million cases of the disease are reported yearly in the country, and according to estimates, India loses nearly 80 million madays annually.

''Malaria continues to be a major threat to the lives of millions of poor Indians through premature death, disability, and unnecessary suffering," said Isabel Guerrero, the World Bank's vice president for South Asia while announcing the new initiative on 31 July.

Falciparum malaria, a severe form of the disease which is often fatal, is on the rise in India due to resistance to chloroquine treatment, which was previously the primary anti-malaria drug, the world body said.

''This project uses the latest science on malaria control, including a new highly effective drug regimen, to effectively address this problem," Guerrero noted.