Tanzania Lifts DDT Ban To Advance Fight Against Malaria

The Tanzanian government has lifted its ban on the pesticide DDT in an effort to advance the country's fight against malaria, Minister of Health David Mwakyusa said over the weekend, the AngolaPress reports. Statistics indicate that the number of malaria cases increased in the country following the introduction of a complete ban on the use of DDT in 1992, according to the AngolaPress. About 100,000 people die annually from malaria in Tanzania, and 70% of all malaria-related deaths occur among children under age five (AngolaPress, 5/8). "We have been forced to reconsider the use of the DDT to try to save the lives of our people," Mwakyusa said. An unnamed malaria expert in the country said that the benefits and disadvantages of DDT should have been examined before lifting the ban. "DDT is one of the scientific inventions that has caused health and environmental havoc," he said (Reuters, 5/8).