In her inaugural speech, the new head of the World Health Organisation said that the fight against malaria will be one of the WHO's top priorities.

Brian Greenwood of the London School of Hygiene andTropical Medicine says Africa is in the most danger from Malaria (1'27'')

The former Norwegian prime minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland, was endorsed as Director General of the WHO at a meeting in Geneva.

She is the first woman to hold the post and faces the task of reforming the organisation, which is in financial crisis.

In the speech, she said malaria is ravaging large parts of the globe, but because of international travel, is a threat to all.

Malaria kills 3m people every year

It is estimated that at any time 2.5bn people are at risk from malaria. It kills 3m a year; 500m are made very ill.

Most cases occur in tropical Africa and south-east Asia, although there are around 2,000 cases every year in the UK. In the mid-50s, the World Health Organisation declared it would eradicate malaria by draining swampland and using DDT.

However, that failed, and the push to defeat the disease ground to a halt. But last year there was a resurgence of interest in malaria, both scientific and political.

It is understood leaders at this week's G-8 summit will discuss the disease.

Gro Harlem Brundtland on the goals of WHO (2'25'')

Wednesday's announcement by Mrs Brundtland of a renewed commitment by the WHO to combat malaria may signal new hope for millions of people worldwide with extra funding for both research and health-promoting measures.

Mrs Brundtland also called for reforms to make the WHO a more effective, transparent organisation which, she said, could demonstrate that it makes a difference to the world.

Among her other aims is to tackle tobacco companies worldwide and work more closely with the pharmaceuticals industry.
 

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