Australian researchers are hoping sponges and sea slugs from the Great Barrier Reef will one day provide a treatment for the potentially deadly disease malaria.

Figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds, most of them in Africa.

But with global warming and climate change, WHO expects the disease to spread to other parts of the world.

The Geneva-based Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) has named an Australian drug discovery project using marine invertebrates from the Barrier Reef as its 2007 Project of the Year.

The marine creatures include sea slugs, sea anemones and sponges, said project leader Professor Ron Quinn of Brisbane's Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/080602/2/173oo.html

I can't think of anything worse than a child dying every 30 seconds from this dreadful disease, and another 10-15 years before they even come close to a cure...Sure they say there are certain preventatives, but how many homes in Africa have mosquito netting. Wasn't it on that American Idol show that they visited Africa, and were supposed to be helping these people with the nets, or was that another farce..Very sad to read