Bill Gates released mosquitoes into a crowd at the Technology, Entertainment, Design Conference to prove a point on fighting malaria. Read about it below, see a photo and a video about his work on global health.
Bill Gates Releasing Mosquitoes
Bill Gates has retired from Microsoft and has turned his attention and considerable business skills to his foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The focus of his foundation is improving global health.
The Microsoft founder took the stage to speak to the Hollywood stars, technological bigwigs and politicians gathered for the Technology, Entertainment, Design Conference and released a jar full of mosquitoes into the audience.
“Malaria is spread by mosquitoes,” Gates said while opening a jar onstage at the Technology, Entertainment, Design Conference — a gathering known to attract technology kings, politicians, and Hollywood stars.
“I brought some. Here I’ll let them roam around. There is no reason only poor people should be infected.”
Wouldn’t you have loved to be a fly on the walls of that room … so to speak. Interestingly, this was first report by Facebook Senior Platform Manager Dave Morin who was in the room. He reported it on Twitter as he was sitting there, “Bill Gates just released mosquitos into the audience at TED.”
Gates waited a couple of minutes to reassure the crowd that the mosquitoes didn’t carry malaria.
Fighting malaria world wide is a focus of his foundation. In fact, Gates has donated $168.7 million himself to the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative to help develop a vaccine for malaria.
Below is a video about Gate’s foundation.
Bill Gates Global Health - Video
February 5th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
That is too funny! I wish I could have seen the people’s reactions in the room.
Great use of an object lesson though.
February 6th, 2009 at 12:33 am
[...] See more here: Bill enterpriser Mosquitoes » Blue Star Chronicles [...]
February 6th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
I guess he didn’t mention the ditzy female scientist who brought about the banned use of DDT and doomed these poor people into needing the Hollywood celebs to donate $10.00 mosquito netting.
What a way to live your live - sleep under a mosquito net. What do these people do when they get up to go to work or school?
Gates is nuts.
February 6th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Yeah Maggie - but the hollywood celebs feel, you know, better about it all. I mean, you know, they are helping poor people and stuff. You know. It makes them feel, you know, like, worthwhile. That’s what matters, right? Don’t confuse them with the details and common sense.