An additional 30 million bed nets, the development of life-saving new treatments and new funding to increase access to anti-malarial drugs are announced today in a package of measures by International Development Secretary, Douglas Alexander, as the UK continues its fight to rid the world of malaria.

Every year 247 million people are infected with malaria with nearly one million of those dying from the disease.

The Department for International Development (DFID) has led the UK's programme to tackle malaria. By 2010 we will have met the Prime Minster's pledge to deliver 20 million bednets- preventing some 110,000 child deaths and our funding to the Global Fund has helped deliver 74 million malaria treatments.

Today Douglas Alexander announced the action DFID will take over the coming years, which will prevent millions of people dying from this preventable disease. These measures include:

-30 million new long lasting insecticide treated bednets (10 million each year from 2010 to 2013), to help ensure all women and children that need to are sleeping under a bednet and to help replace existing bednets where required…