Chinese advisers have started a drive against malaria in the Água Grande district of São Tomé and Príncipe, according to the Chinese Embassy in the capital, São Tomé.

The embassy announced in writing that for the next few months Chinese and São Toméan medical staff will diagnose and treat malaria among the people of 10 parts of Água Grande where the prevalence of the disease is high.

The embassy says the Chinese advisers have been helping the São Toméan Ministry of Health come up with a new strategy, which combines mass treatment of malaria with keeping the mosquitoes that carry the disease at bay.

China is committed to helping eradicate malaria in São Tomé and Príncipe by 2025, the Chinese Embassy in São Tomé says.