The Seattle Times
Originally published September 9, 2010 at 8:28 PM | Page modified September 9, 2010 at 10:07 PM

After revitalizing research into the long-neglected disease malaria, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is now revamping the scientific agenda to focus on the controversial goal it set three years ago: driving malaria to extinction.

By Sandi Doughton
Seattle Times science reporter

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Imagine a vaccine that wouldn't keep you from getting sick, but could protect your neighbors from falling prey to one of the world's biggest killers. Then ask yourself: Would you get the shot?

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is betting people in Africa will say yes when it comes to malaria.

After revitalizing research into the long-neglected disease, the Microsoft co-founder and his wife are revamping the scientific agenda with their eyes on the controversial goal they set three years ago: driving malaria to extinction.

Chief among the new priorities is a vaccine that would prevent mosquitoes from spreading the disease. People who are inoculated could still get malaria, but mosquitoes that bite them would not be able to infect anyone else.

Another tool sought is a pill that would not only cure malaria but also block its spread. And since global eradication means all malaria would be wiped out, more attention is going to the form of the disease common in Asia and South America — which can hide in the body and cause recurring bouts of fever. …

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