NAIROBI, Kenya--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 8, 2006--Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, CEO, Vestergaard Frandsen, together with the Global Fund announced at a briefing today a massive malaria prevention program that will bring insecticide treated bed nets to thousands of at-risk families. The nets, which are financed through an $82 million grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, will be provided jointly with a range of other essential health interventions, including measles vaccinations, polio vaccinations (in select districts), vitamin A, and de-worming medicine.

Malaria accounts for roughly one-quarter of all deaths among children under the age of five in Kenya each year. The disease takes a considerable toll on the country's economy, causing the loss of an estimated 170 million productive working days each year. Currently, only six percent of pregnant women and young children sleep under a long-lasting insecticide-treated bed net -- a level the campaign aims to increase to more than 70 percent.

Nearly 34 organizations have partnered to implement this innovative program including the Measles Initiative, a partnership led by the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Kenya Red Cross will be working with the government and other partners to educate and mobilize communities.

"My company is in the business of saving lives," said Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, CEO, Vestergaard Frandsen. "Working with the Kenyan Ministry of Health, Global Fund and our esteemed partners in the international NGO community we will be bringing nearly 3.5 million life saving PERMANETS to at-risk families in Kenya. The profound effect our products can have on so many lives is humbling. In combination with the other essential health interventions provided, we are substantively improving the lives of millions of people who need help the most."

Kenya is the first in a series of such joint measles-malaria campaigns to be launched this year. In total, more than 18 million bed nets will be distributed in nine countries through these campaigns, saving the lives of an estimated 380,000 children over the next three years. The model of combining distribution of bed nets with measles vaccinations and other health interventions was initially tested during campaigns in Togo and Niger in 2004-2005. Both campaigns were highly successful, increasing the percent of households owning a bed net from 8 to 70 percent in Niger and as equally effective in Togo.

Founded in 1957, Vestergaard Frandsen is a global company that specializes in developing advanced technologies to solve public health problems. Considered to be a leader in disease control, Vestergaard Frandsen works with the UN, global NGOs and relief agencies in responding to complex emergency situations. The company's products--PERMANET, LIFESTRAW and ZEROFLY---have saved the lives of countless individuals affected by war, poverty, disease and natural disasters.

Vestergaard Frandsen is headquartered in Switzerland and has offices in Denmark, India, Ghana, Nigeria, Vietnam, Kenya, USA and UAE, and licensed production in India, Vietnam and Thailand.

Copyright Business Wire 2006

Vestergaard Frandsen Inc.

Vestergaard Frandsen Inc.

Vestergaard Frandsen is an international textile company founded in 1957 in Kolding, Denmark. Having offices in Switzerland, Denmark, India, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Dubai, Thailand, Vietnam and USA, and licensed production in India, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, and China, Vestergaard Frandsen is able to meet complex emergency needs at a very short notice. Vestergaard Frandsen is the producer of life saving products Permanet, Zerofly, and Lifestraw. For more information visit www.vestergaard-frandsen.com.

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