Ethiopia: WHO Fights Back on Issue of Malaria Drugs

A World Health Organisation official in Ethiopia has dismissed an article in a respected British medical journal that claimed the United Nations agency was undermining the fight against malaria. "The Lancet" accuses the agency of approving cheap drugs that do not work, and blocking the use of a newer -- albeit more expensive -- treatment to combat the disease. This comes as Ethiopia is experiencing a malaria epidemic. According to a joint report by government and the UN, 46.2 million Ethiopians are living in malaria-prone areas, out of a population of 70 million.