The Itchy and Scratchy Show

At a technology conference the other day, Bill Gates released a jar of mosquitoes into a crowded room to make a point about malaria.

‘Malaria is spread by mosquitoes,’ the Microsoft founder yelled at a well-heeled crowd at a technology conference in California.

’I brought some,’ he added. ‘Here, I’ll let them roam around – there is no reason only poor people should be infected.’

Malaria control currently falls into two categories: prevention (indoor residual spraying, treated nets) and treatment. The Gates Foundation has dedicated significant funding to creating a vaccine.

Good for Gates for both drawing attention to the problem and actually doing something about it; too bad for the guy in the front row. (Turns out the mosquitoes were disease-free, at least.)