China to Test Controversial Malaria Treatment

(NEWSER) - Diarrhea kills 1.6 million children under 5 every year—more than AIDS or malaria—and gets a fraction of the funding. But a deceptively simple new treatment may mark a breakthrough, Time reports. Zinc supplements appear to dramatically decrease diarrhea-related deaths—one afflicted village in Mali hasn’t had a single death since the pills arrived. Zinc “has totally taken off,” a researcher says. “It looks like real medicine and is not given out for free.” More»

Remains suspected to be from Yemenia flight

(NEWSER) - Thirteen bodies found off the coast of Tanzania’s Mafia Island may be the remains of passengers from the Yemen Airways flight that crashed into the Indian Ocean last week, Reuters reports. Tanzanian authorities say that airplane seats and what may be part of an airplane wing were also found in the waters near Mafia Island. More»

Malaria solution is hands-on way to help

(NEWSER) - Mosquito nets, at $10 a pop, are a low-cost, effective way to prevent malaria—and they've become a cause célèbre for young people across the country, who've raised millions in donation drives, the New York Times reports. “You can say $10 saves a life,” says one young fundraiser. “That makes students feel they can help a lot. And every student has $10.” More»

20th time unlucky for Indian Ocean rebels

(NEWSER) - The latest renegades to seize power in the Comoros Islands have been defeated, reports the Independent. Government and African Union troops regained control in an amphibious assault at sunrise yesterday. The island nation in the Indian Ocean has been rocked by more than 20 coups or coup attempts, many involving foreign mercenaries, since it gained independence from France in 1975. More»

Well-funded prevention effort brings down infection rates

(NEWSER) - A new anti-malaria effort will provide a mosquito net to every Tanzanian child under age 5, reports the Washington Post. President Bush visited northern Tanzania yesterday to announce the program, spotlighting Africa's hugely successful fight against malaria, with committed African and Western governments collaborating on the well-funded strategy. In Zanzibar, the children's infection rate has dropped from 20% to 1% in just 3 years. More»