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"Kill or Cure?": BBC broadcasts series on developing-country diseases

"Malaria" was the first subject of a new BBC television documentary series about the diseases which take a heavy toll on populations in developing countries but have been traditionally neglected by the pharmaceutical industry because of lack of profit potential. The first programme in the series was aired worldwide on 14 May on BBC World — a network with an audience reach of approximately 250 million viewers.

The programme on "Malaria" is to be followed by "Kalar Azar" (leishmaniasis) from 21 May, "Lymphatic Fileriasis," from 28 May, "TB" (tuberculosis) from 4 June, "Hep B," from 11 June, "Diarrhoea" from 18 June, "Bilharzia" from 25 June and "Polio" from 2 July.

"For too long these diseases have been ignored," says Professor David Molyneux of the Liverpool School of Tropical Hygiene. "The BBC is to be praised for running a series that vividly portrays the reality of life for tens of millions of people around the world."