NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Philanthropist Bill Gates says he wants to end malaria in his lifetime and will give more money toward that goal, part of his broader fight against tropical diseases that are getting unusual public attention because of the Ebola epidemic.
In an interview with The Associated Press and in a speech Sunday at a global health conference in New Orleans, the Microsoft co-founder said his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation would increase its malaria program budget by 30 percent, to more than $200 million per year. That’s on top of the foundation’s other donations to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Small steps won’t get the job done, and scientists don’t have all the tools they need to eradicate malaria, Gates said.
His plan includes developing a drug or vaccine to purge the malaria parasite in people who carry it without showing symptoms – a “human reservoir” that helps spread the disease.
“I really do believe that malaria can be eradicated in my lifetime,” said Gates, who just turned 59.