The UN chief's envoy for malaria says a $5 billion campaign has saved several hundred thousand lives in recent years, keeping international efforts on track to virtually end deaths from the mosquito-borne disease by 2015.
The UN says about 780,000 people, mostly babies and toddlers in sub-Saharan Africa, now die from malaria annually, down from nearly 1 million in 2008.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's envoy, U.S. philanthropist Ray Chambers, says a new malaria initiative announced Monday by Harvard University should significantly help international efforts to wipe out the disease. He encouraged other universities to follow suit.
Chambers is a New Jersey entrepreneur and co-founder of the non-profit organization Malaria No More.
