MICROSOFT founder Bill Gates expanded his philanthropic activities on Saturday, as his foundation announced a $100m grant to help develop vaccines to fight AIDS. We should remember that a death from AIDS in Africa brings with it just as much pain as a death of one of our own family or friends,” said the billionaire founder of the computer giant. “A vaccine is the only way to end AIDS for all time,” he added. AIDS was responsible for the deaths of about 500 000 children and 2.5m adults last year, according to the World Health Organization. The grant will be managed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, a New York-based scientific organization, which strives to ensure the development of safe and accessible anti-HIV vaccines for use throughout the world. The initiative plans to sponsor eight to 12 new prospective anti-AIDS vaccines over the next five to seven years.