PIP: Leaders of the world's 8 major government powers who met at the Group of Eight (G8) Summit in Birmingham, UK, during May 15-17, endorsed an international initiative to control malaria and other parasitic diseases. The leaders agreed to improve mutual cooperation on infectious and parasitic diseases, and offered support for the new World Health Organization (WHO) initiative "Roll Back Malaria" to reduce levels of malaria-related mortality by 2010. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair was, however, the only leader to pledge new funding, in the amount of US$100 million, for the initiative. The other G8 countries fought the inclusion of specific targets in the final joint G8 document and made no new commitment to fund the malaria initiative. The Japanese government's report on global parasite control for the 21st century outlined 4 strategies for controlling malaria, soil-transmitted nematode infections, schistosomiasis, filariasis, and other parasitic infections. The strategies include international cooperation for implementing parasite control and research to provide a scientific basis for such control. Roll Back Malaria will begin in Africa. G8 support was less enthusiastic for France's Therapeutic Solidarity Initiative to establish a fund for HIV treatment regimens which are appropriate to conditions in the developing world.