Links: Hidden Good News, Plumpy'Nut, Malaria

Nigerian sisters tell of African good news odyssey
The BBC reports that "Nigerian sisters, Chioma and Oluchi Ogwuegbu, have got fed up with all the bad news out of Africa. So much so that they've embarked on a journey right across Africa to try to draw attention to the good news which doesn't get reported." Go to the Ogwuegbu sisters' website at celebrateafrica.net

Paul Farmer mocks Nutriset patent on Plumpy'Nut
Ha! Farmer told me the same story a year and a half ago. It's the anecdote that got me looking into intellectual property rights and ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs). According to the Charlotte Observer's account of a recent Farmer talk, "when Partners in Health built a factory and began making its own peanut butter product, Farmer said he got "cease and desist” letters from the makers of Plumpy'nut. “It sounds crazy to argue over peanut butter,” he said. “But patenting some things goes a little too far.” " See my previous Plumpy'Nut posts for more background.

WHO cracks down on new malaria resistance
Scidev.net reports that the World Health Organization "has confirmed resistance to the malaria drug artemisinin at the Thai-Cambodia border, prompting urgent action."