Ethiopia will distribute 20 million free treated mosquito bed nets as part of campaign that will culminate with the country's Millennium celebrations in September.

The country, which follows the Julian calendar, will celebrate its year 2000 from September 12, with activities that include a nationwide campaign on the use of the anti-malaria drug, Coartem.

To boost the campaign, the Japanese government donated US $1 million on 20 August to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for malaria prevention.

Kinichi Komano, Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia, said: "Young children and pregnant women are most at risk from the severe effect of malaria, including death. Thus we believe that the fight against infectious diseases is the main agenda of the time."

The donation is expected to be used towards buying and distributing nets within the next six months - replacing old ones that have served families for four years or have been damaged.

According to Ethiopian health ministry statistics, malaria is prevalent in more than 75 percent of the country, putting over 50 million people at risk.

Malaria is responsible for 40 percent of an estimated 344,000 deaths among children under five years. Across the country, an estimated 15.3 million malaria cases are registered each year.