On Oct 17, 2007, Bill and Melinda Gates called for complete eradication to be adopted as the new goal for the age-old fight against malaria, with the Director General of WHO, Margaret Chan, promptly echoing their conviction. Although debate over the wisdom of this target will continue, growing impatience with the low ambitions of current efforts, fuelled by reductions in morbidity and mortality in some countries and progress in the development of new drugs and the first-ever vaccine, will lead many decision makers to adopt eradication of malaria as the primary aim for their organisations.

Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told a Congressional hearing that it believes a contaminant found in batches of heparin, which have killed at least 81 patients, might have been deliberately added. The source of the contaminant

In Tanzania, millions of people seek treatment for malaria through the private sector. But most cannot afford effective medicines. Now a pilot study is testing whether a drug subsidy scheme could help these patients, with some positive preliminary results.

Decades of misguided policies and untrained or weak leadership have left the children of India defenceless, threatening the future of the country. What are the solutions? April 26-May 2, 2008

Several countries have used fi nancial incentives to encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles with encouraging results. Now this approach has been suggested in a number of UK policy documents. But what is the evidence that it works? : a report.