13 October 2012, Kinshasa, DRC : - France's First Lady Ms. Valérie Trierweiler, accompanied by Mr. Pascal Canfin, French Minister of Development and Dr Félix Kabange Numbi, Minister of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo Dr Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, visited a children's hospital in Kinshasa to highlight the importance of tackling malaria through prevention, treatment and case management.
Malaria continues to kills approximately 650,000 people each year, mostly African children under the age of five. The Democratic Republic of Congo is one the most affected countries in the world. Its large geographic size and poor infrastructure complicate tremendously ongoing efforts to protect, diagnose and treat people at risk. The French Government provides approximately 16% of the global budget to combat malaria.