But can this ancient disease be eliminated? : This week, Microsoft founder Bill Gates announced the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would invest $1 billion in the fight against malaria. Speaking at the London Malaria Summit on Wednesday, he urged global leaders to unite in fighting the ancient and deadly disease. After more than a decade of dramatic decline drug and insecticide resistance, political apathy and a collapse in donor funding have created a recipe for a resurgence. Government leaders, medical experts and even British Royals joined the chorus. The fight against malaria, they said, has hit a "crossroads."