FOOTBALLERS, celebrities and philanthropists pledged their support for a new campaign to tackle malaria today.

U2 star Bono, actress Ashley Judd, Microsoft tycoon Bill Gates’s wife, Melinda, David Beckham’s football team LA Galaxy and Spanish club FC Barcelona are backing the United Against Malaria initiative, formed by charities Comic Relief, One and Malaria No More UK.

The campaign will support the United Nations’ goal of universal access to mosquito nets and malaria medicine in Africa by the end of 2010.

Around 350m to 500m illnesses, and more than one million deaths worldwide, are caused by the disease, which is spread by mosquitoes, every year, according to Malaria No More.

The initiative will launch in the UK on November 12, ahead of next year’s 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa, in conjunction with launches in America and Africa, and will run until the end of the tournament.

Sarah Kline, executive director of Malaria No More UK, said: “Sport and particularly football is in our DNA, so for us this is a perfect campaign match.

“We will be working with local and global partners to harness the universal power of football to save lives.”

Jamie Drummond, executive director of One, said: “African countries are already making spectacular progress in beating this easily preventable killer.

“It shows what can be done and just how unforgivable it is that, in the 21st century, a child should die from a mosquito bite.”

Members of the public will be able to show their support by visiting www. unitedagainstmalaria.org