Africa will be the major focus of the G8 summit in Gleneagles next week, and rightly so. Nearly 11 million children aged under 5 years are dying every year worldwide from treatable diseases. Most of them are living in developing countries, with more than four million of these deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.1 Along with the disastrous effects of warfare, HIV/AIDS is wiping out young adults and leaving frail, malnourished children in the care of their siblings and grandparents.

It is difficult to see how the countries of sub-Saharan Africa can develop economically and politically when such large proportions of their adult populations are living with chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other tropical diseases. Antiretroviral drugs could make a dramatic difference, and so could appropriate aid. Although the developed countries of the North are giving aid with one hand, they …