The Balance of Lives

George Bush is ready to spend $7.5 billion dollars to protect the US from a disease that currently poses no danger and has so far killed no Americans, and only 62 people worldwide. Meanwhile, Bill Gates, much maligned by the media and internet geeks, is spending over $258 million in research toward Malaria, a disease which kills 1.2 million every year.

Of the $258 million that Mr. Gates is spending, $107 million will go towards accelerating the development of a Malaria vaccine. The added money could lead to the development of a vaccine within 6 years. Experts estimate that a malaria vaccine will cut the number of Malaria deaths in half. In other words, it will save 600,000 lives a year, most of them children.

Bill Gates is quoted in the Washington Post: