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— New numbers suggest that only a fraction of the 300,000 conflict-related deaths in Darfur dating back to 2003 were directly caused by violence. An analysis of these deaths published in the Lancet suggests that 80% were due to diseases such as diarrhea, driving home the devastation caused by lost health infrastructure. (WaPo)

— Tightening purse strings in Canada might translate into a shoestring budget for a proposed Alzheimer’s initiative. As a result of the government’s financial woes, the initiative, championed by Canadian Institutes of Health Research president Alain Beaudet, may get far less money than some had envisaged. (ScienceInsider)

— Bill Gates is letting off some steam about funding going toward climate aid. Spending for the climate cause could detract from money put forth to fight disease, and subsequently lead to many thousands of deaths, he wrote in his annual Gates Foundation letter. (The Great Beyond)

— According to the Boston Globe, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital has said that allergy and asthma specialist Lawrence M. DuBuske will step down from his post at the end of the month. DuBuske reportedly earned nearly $100,000 from GlaxoSmithKline for giving talks last spring. Brigham and Women’s Hospital recently set forth strict rules regarding such outside pay, which some say go too far (and others not far enough). (Boston Globe via Pharmalot)

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