Issue of malaria in Africa proposed for consideration by General Assembly

At the request of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), a United Nations committee has proposed that the General Assembly discuss the question of malaria in Africa.

Speaking on behalf of the Chairman of the OAU, Kodjo Menan of Togo told the Assembly's General Committee yesterday that he was making the request because malaria was one of the main causes of death and a hindrance to development in Africa, causing one million deaths on the continent every year.

Mr. Menan said the disease cost some $12 billion annually, but that a fraction of that amount could eradicate it.

As part of its discussion, the Assembly would take up a draft resolution by which it would proclaim the period 2001-2010 the "Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Africa" and undertake a number of initiatives to combat the disease.