Leadership is a wonderful thing, but it is truly found when it is tested, and on that count malaria leadership has failed.

A significant portion of antimalarial drugs in Africa have been illegally diverted from the public sector, where they were intended to be dispensed free of charge in public health facilities, to the private sector.

In late May, a deadly mutant strain of E. coli broke out in Germany and spread across at least 12 countries. The bacterium, which is more toxic and infectious than any other known strain of E coli, left 1,800 infected and 18 dead by early June.

US government foreign assistance health programs are currently focused on combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, which account for several million deaths each year across Africa. The United States should prioritize sustaining the hard-won gains in disease control, which requires focusing on programs with proven track records of success and addressing failures within those programs.

Prospects for malaria control are now brighter than they have been in decades.

There is a lack of incentives driving agencies to actively address the problem of counterfeit medicine--some individuals may care enough to risk their jobs by speaking out, but most keep their mouths shut.

USAID's approach to fighting malaria by building in-country capacity to control malaria will be the true test of its reforms moving forward.

Why ignore theWorld Health Organization's medical advice?