Carter leading malaria fight

Former American president Jimmy Carter wants the leaders of Haiti and the Dominican Republic to forge a pact to rid the island of Hispaniola of malaria.



Mr Carter is visiting the two countries, where he will also check the progress of a $200,000 pilot project established by the non-profit Carter Centre.



Local health officials say the project has helped to curb the spread of the disease in two towns that sit about ten miles apart on opposite sides of the border.



An estimated 30 thousand Haitians and several thousand people across the border in the Dominican Republic are infected each year with the mosquito-borne illness.