Malaria kills but DDT is worse
Jan 01, 2009
MALARIA poses a serious challenge not only to Uganda but Africa in general. Africa is where malaria strikes the hardest. Some 800,000 Africans — mainly children younger than five — die from the disease every year, making over 90% of the global mortal
Ellady Muyambi
MALARIA poses a serious challenge not only to Uganda but Africa in general. Africa is where malaria strikes the hardest. Some 800,000 Africans — mainly children younger than five — die from the disease every year, making over 90% of the global mortality rate from malaria, according to the World Malaria Report 2008.
Malaria cases have increased in the country in the last few years. It is vital that the country finds the most locally appropriate and effective set of interventions based on evidence to reduce the incidence of malaria through vector control and other means.
Although the World Health Organisation accepts the use of DDT as part of the arsenal of 12 insecticides to be used in indoor residual spraying (IRS) to combat the mosquito vector that carries the malaria parasite, the Stockholm convention, a global treaty ratified by 160 countries to protect human health and the environment from Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) lists DDT as one of the 12 man-made POPs to be eliminated from production and use.
Although the same convention also accepts the situation that DDT is required in certain circumstances to be used to control disease vectors especially the anopheles mosquito, it acknowledges the fact that DDT is very toxic to both human health and the environment.
At its last meeting in 2007, the Stockholm Convention took a decision to prepare a business plan to promote a global partnership to develop alternative products, methods and strategies to DDT for disease vector control.
The preparation of the plan is ongoing and it is expected that governments, researchers, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and donors will collaborate on achieving the development and distribution of alternatives to DDT to control the malaria vector. I do recall that Uganda is a party to the Stockholm Convention and therefore, expect it to observe the elimination of DDT.
There is a compendium of knowledge on the negative health effects of DDT with new evidence coming from South Africa. Most of these effects are irreversible.
The writer is the general secretary, Uganda Network on Toxic Free Malaria Control
MALARIA poses a serious challenge not only to Uganda but Africa in general. Africa is where malaria strikes the hardest. Some 800,000 Africans — mainly children younger than five — die from the disease every year, making over 90% of the global mortality rate from malaria, according to the World Malaria Report 2008.
Malaria cases have increased in the country in the last few years. It is vital that the country finds the most locally appropriate and effective set of interventions based on evidence to reduce the incidence of malaria through vector control and other means.
Although the World Health Organisation accepts the use of DDT as part of the arsenal of 12 insecticides to be used in indoor residual spraying (IRS) to combat the mosquito vector that carries the malaria parasite, the Stockholm convention, a global treaty ratified by 160 countries to protect human health and the environment from Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) lists DDT as one of the 12 man-made POPs to be eliminated from production and use.
Although the same convention also accepts the situation that DDT is required in certain circumstances to be used to control disease vectors especially the anopheles mosquito, it acknowledges the fact that DDT is very toxic to both human health and the environment.
At its last meeting in 2007, the Stockholm Convention took a decision to prepare a business plan to promote a global partnership to develop alternative products, methods and strategies to DDT for disease vector control.
The preparation of the plan is ongoing and it is expected that governments, researchers, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and donors will collaborate on achieving the development and distribution of alternatives to DDT to control the malaria vector. I do recall that Uganda is a party to the Stockholm Convention and therefore, expect it to observe the elimination of DDT.
There is a compendium of knowledge on the negative health effects of DDT with new evidence coming from South Africa. Most of these effects are irreversible.
The writer is the general secretary, Uganda Network on Toxic Free Malaria Control