Tackling tropical and other communicable diseases in Africa is a UK priority. Through DFID’s bilateral programme, the UK supports African countries to develop strong and sustainable health services to address illness, including tropical diseases. For example, in Malawi DFID has committed £100 million to develop and implement the national health plan and increase the number of health workers who can provide basic health care. DFID also supports specific projects to tackle specific diseases, for example the £47.4 million Malaria programme in Kenya will provide long-lasting insecticide-treated bednets.
The UK also supports global and regional initiatives. For example, DFID:
contributed £7.6 million to the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control;
committed £359 million to 2008 to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria and contributed £49 million to the WHO-led initiative, Roll Back Malaria;
provided £91.9 million (2000-06) to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, a public-private partnership focused on increasing children’s access to vaccines in poor countries;
has committed a further £1.38 billion to the International Financing Facility for Immunization (IFFIm) from 2006-26 to develop vaccines;
provides funding directly to the World Health Organisation (e.g. $255 million in the 2004-05 biennium), the World Bank and the European Commission in the fight against tropical and communicable diseases;
finances critical research, including £10 million to the Medicines for Malaria Venture and £6.5 million to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative over the next three years.