Fight against disease focuses on grassroots

China's antimalarial programs in South Sudan are helping thousands of people diagnosed with the disease every year.

Of the 900,000 malaria cases registered in the country last year, 4,079 patients died. The Malaria Control Program at the South Sudan Ministry of Health reported that the number was double the 2,000 deaths recorded the previous year.

The sharp rise prompted the Chinese government to donate more than 1 million cartons of antimalarial drugs, worth $800,000, to combat the deadly epidemic that had worsened rapidly by the end of the year.