Indoor Insecticide Spraying With DDT Not Most Effective Way To Control Malaria, Opinion Piece Says

Indoor insecticide spraying using the pesticide DDT to control malaria in countries like Uganda "will not produce the same results" as it did in South Africa -- which had a "unique" situation and was able to eradicate malarial mosquitoes -- and it "will almost certainly have dire consequences," Jessie Stone, a doctor and director of Soft Power Health, a not-for-profit organization in Uganda, writes in a New York Times opinion piece. In addition, "spraying is costly," and in countries like Uganda, which already face tough financial situations, "it makes little sense to embrace an approach that is exceedingly costly from fiscal, human and environmental standpoints," Stone says. According to Stone, the most effective strategy to control malaria includes educating people about how to protect themselves against the disease, distributing insecticide-treated nets, distributing combination therapy and conducting indoor insecticide spraying without the use of DDT. "DDT is not the magic bullet that will eradicate malaria," Stone says, adding, "We need to refocus resources and attention on something most Africans do not have: basic malaria education and prevention" (Stone, New York Times, 9/22).