Unreported hope

Though AIDS research often gets the most coverage, concern and research dollars, little attention is paid to the infection known as malaria.

AIDS has ravaged Sub-Saharan Africa as well as parts of Asia and poor urban centres around the world, but the deaths caused by malaria are staggering in comparison.

For the 1st time in a long time, some hope has come out of the work of some NGO's in Switzerland, but I had to troll newspapers in Uganda in order to catch a whiff of it in the press. It seems a non-profit health organization in Europe has discovered "four new highly effective anti malarial drugs."

"Globally, malaria kills between one and two million people annually, infects 350 to 500 million people each year, kills a child somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, accounts for about one in five of all childhood deaths, and is most prevalent in Africa."

"We are now in the last stage of developing the new and affordable drugs to ensure universal access. Almost half of people who suffer from malaria don't have access to drugs because they are expensive."

In Canada, a new Decima research poll puts the Liberals and Conservatives in a dead heat. The Liberals are kickin some Conservative ass in Ontario, Quebec, in cities, with women and with youth aged 18-24. They are also staying in minority territory giving me hope that Dion will have to cut a deal with the NDP...something I think his principled, political science stance could muster.

But here's a shocker! The poll has gone completely unreported in the press, though just 4 months ago you couldn't open a paper without hearing about Dion's ineptitude, and the inevitable Conservative Majortiy.