YAOUNDE, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon government on Thursday launched a campaign to distribute 15 million mosquito nets free of charge across the country to reduce the infection of malaria.

"We are targeting areas that are most affected. When we organize the mosquito bed net campaign, we expect at least 50 percent drop in number of cases and death," Cameroon's Minister of Public Health, Manaouda Malachie, said during the launch of the campaign in the east region of the country.

According to the Ministry of Public Health, Cameroon recorded a decline in number of malaria deaths in the last seven years.

Prevalence rate dropped from 33 percent in 2011 to 24 percent in 2018 due to increase in sensitization, prevention and treatment measures, according to Sinata Koulla-Shiro, secretary general of the Cameroon Ministry of Public Health.

"Some of the efforts that have contributed to this drop include free preventive treatment for pregnant women, free treatment of complicated malaria in children under 5 and the reduction of cost of treatment of simple malaria," Koulla-Shiro said.