Lack of DDT Contributing to Rise in Malaria in Some Parts of Africa, Editorial Says
An absence of the pesticide DDT and not increasing temperatures likely is to blame for the rise in malaria in some parts of Africa because "mosquitoes" and "not sport utility vehicles" spread the disease, an Investor's Business Daily editorial says. A recent Los Angeles Times article draws a "link between global warming and a rise" in the number of malaria cases in Kenya's highlands, according to the editorial. However, the Times article does not mention DDT -- a "proven and effective weapon against mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria" -- the editorial says, adding that Kenya's ban on DDT in 1990 "spawned the resurgence" of the disease in the country's cooler regions.
The editorial points to evidence from the Competitive Enterprise Institute that says malaria in the region is not new but is a "re-emerging problem." After malaria outbreaks throughout the 1940s, Kenyan authorities used DDT to control the disease, the editorial says. After its popularity as a tool for malaria control waned for a period of time, the World Health Organization last year gave DDT a "clean bill of health" when used for indoor spraying in small amounts, according to Business Daily. After describing South Africa's success with DDT after it was reintroduced in 2003, the editorial concludes that the best part about DDT is that "it works in virtually any temperature" (Investor's Business Daily, 7/23).
