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202 Fighting the Diseases of Povertyroot causes of extreme poverty and ill health. In this regard, agrowing body of literature implicates corruption, weak or nonexistentrule of law and limits on economic freedom (see e.g.Greenspan, 2003; Gwartney & Lawson, 2004; Kasper, 2006). Thereform of governance structures must therefore be a priority; thatmeans strengthening property rights, liberating markets andentrenching the rule of law.Admittedly, the reform of governance in sovereign states isoutside the bounds of WHO policy. But the fact that so many Africangovernments are corrupt and ineffective does not excuse the WHOfrom promulgating the disastrous strategies it has followed. Indeed,the very fact that health infrastructure is so weak in the world’spoorest countries makes many of these strategies all the moreabsurd.