China has given São Tomé and Principe a batch of medical supplies for the campaign there against malaria on Friday, STP-Press reports.

The São Toméan state-run news agency says a Chinese body that gives advice on countering malaria donated 14,000 tests for rapidly diagnosing the disease, 40,000 microscope slides and 3,000 pregnancy tests, among other supplies.

The report quotes the head of the advisory body, Li Mingqiang, as saying the COVID-19 pandemic has depleted supplies needed for treating malaria in the parts of São Tomé and Principe most troubled by the disease.

The report quotes São Toméan National Center for Endemic Diseases Director Carlos D’Almeida as saying the Sino-São Toméan campaign is intended to eradicate malaria in his country by 2025.

Chinese advisers there diagnose and treat malaria, and distribute mosquito nets and fumigate infested areas to keep the mosquitoes that carry the disease at bay, STP-Press says.