Gambia's Catholic Relief Service in partnership with the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) on Monday launched the first nationwide distribution of long lasting, insecticide treated mosquito net in the capital Banjul.

The mass mosquito net distribution campaign was presided over by Vice President Isatou Njie Saidy at July 22nd Square.

The insecticide treated mosquito nets would be distributed to nearly 700,000 Gambians, or one out of every two Gambians in the West African country.

The mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council, Yankuba Colley, vowed to eradicate malaria in the near future. The launch is important as this will support the eradication of malaria in Gambia, said the official.

Ahmed Jaegan Loum, the chairperson of the Global Fund country coordinator mechanism, said the Global Fund is a public private partnership to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria established in 2002 to help achieve the millennium development goals (MDG).

From its founding through December 2009, the Global Fund Board approved proposals totalling 19.2 billion U. S. dollars, and disbursed 10 billion dollars for HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria control efforts, he said, adding his office has oversighted a disbursement of 90 million dollars for the three diseases.

By 2009, the Global Fund had distributed 104 million insecticide treated nets to prevent malaria, according to the official.

In Gambia, the total grant approved by the Global Fund for malaria control is about 20 million dollars.

Vice President Saidy hailed the distribution as a great step in the fight to eradicate malaria in the country. She said this demonstrates the commitment of the Gambian government in mobilizing to fight malaria.