China on Friday handed over 139 million shillings (122,000 US dollars) worth of anti-malarial drugs to Tanzania.

Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Yu Qingtai said that the donation is just a gesture of China's support for Tanzania's fight against the killer disease.

Tanzanian Health Minister Anna Abdallah described as life- saving donation the anti-malarial drugs of Dihydroartemisinin. " Your donation will save more than 27,000 lives in this country and therefore forms part of the cornerstone for the country's malaria control program," said the minister.

The Tanzanian health minister appealed to the international community to help her country in its efforts to render malaria a treatable and preventable disease.

Malaria, spread through mosquitoes, claims more than 1 million lives worldwide each year, with 75 percent of the fatalities in sub-Saharan Africa.

In Tanzania, malaria accounts for over 30 percent of the total reported diseases.

Source: Xinhua