Impact Malaria!
Malaria
is a disease spread by mosquitoes that kills 2.7 million people in developing
southern nations each year. This is equal to the number of deaths cause
by AIDS. But, unlike AIDS, malaria can be inexpensively wiped out. We
have a safe, powerful and available weapon to fight malaria — but
we're not using it.
Fast Facts about Malaria
- Malaria is a parasitic disease that causes infection, anemia,
low birthweight, and death.
- Between 1-3 million people die from malaria each year.
- More than 1 billion people live in areas directly affected
by malaria.
- Sub-Saharan Africa experiences over 90 per cent of the global
burden of malaria.
- In sub-Saharan Africa, someone dies from malaria every 30
seconds. 75% of those deaths are children under the age of 5.
- Survivors of cerebral malaria may be left with neurological effects
including weakness in the limbs, speech disorders, behavioral disorders,
blindness, hearing impairment, cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
- The US plans to contribute over $2 billion to Africa’s
fight against malaria over the next 5 years.
Vernon L. Smith, Nobel Laureate (2002), Professor of Economics and Law,
George Mason University:
“Malaria appears to be a disease that may have escaped control
because of an overreaction to early environmental concerns about the widespread
use of DDT for insecticide spray. Although its primary use was in agriculture,
where acceptable substitutes were available, its effectiveness in Malaria
control was very negatively impacted by the overreaction that banned it
where close effective substitutes were available. I think that it is fair
to say that science collided with politics and a bad press, and the failure
to fully appreciate the tradeoff between small, tolerable environmental
costs and potentially large loss of life produced by an unbalanced policy.”
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu:
“Many African countries desperately need cost-effective insecticides, such as DDT, to battle the deadly mosquitoes that transmit the disease. It is a human tragedy that children die largely because donors fail to support appropriate and effective solutions to this preventable disease.”
The Success Story of KwaZulu-Natal
A comprehensive change in anti-malarial policy in the South African province
of KwaZulu-Natal in the year 2000 included the use of DDT in insecticide
residual spraying (IRS). After the addition of DDT to the insectide spraying,
as well as a change in front-line drug therapy, the facilities which introduced
the changes, consisting of 1 hospital and 9 clinics, treated 21,874 fewer
cases of malaria between 2000 and 2002.
Anne Mills and Sam Shillcutt of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical
Medicine said the interventions, including DDT, were “hugely successful,”
and Jacques van der Gaag, a professor of development economics at the
University of Amsterdam, called the program shift in KwaZulu-Natal “highly
successful.”
Vernon L. Smith, a Nobel laureate and professor of economics and law
at George Mason University has said, “The great success of KuaZulu
Natel resulting from the use of insecticide spray (40 per cent DDT, 60
per cent delta methrin) and combination drug therapies shows that major
reductions in malaria cases can be achieved.”
In 2004, a group of economists and policy experts ranked a series of
solutions to global problems in order to find which issues posed the best
opportunities for significant progress. Overall, the Copenhagen Consensus
expert panel ranked the control of malaria in their top category of “very
good projects.”
Source: Global Crises, Global Solutions, ed. Bjørn Lomborg
(New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004).
How You Can Help
Kill Malarial
Mosquitoes NOW!
The "Kill
Malarial Mosquitoes NOW!" declaration (PDF) states vehemently that
it is in favor of using DDT “only for indoor residual spraying (which
results in zero-to-negligible external environmental residue) and not
for aerial or any other form of outdoor application.” Visit their website
and learn how to add your voice to this campaign.
Africa Fighting
Malaria
This page offers a wealth of information on the fight against malaria
in Africa. View a flash presentation on the use of DDT
for malaria control.
Campaign
For Fighting Diseases
This site provides more information about fighting diseases in general
(HIV/AIDS as well as Malaria) and provides links for how you can get involved.
South Africa Malaria Control
Contains some fact-sheets on the use of DDT.
Recommended Reading
“Green Death at the World Bank”
By Roger Bate, FrontPageMag.com
“The Spring is Silent
on DDT”
By Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr., Ludwig Von Mises Institute
“Business
Joins African Effort to Cut Malaria”
By Sharon laFraniere, New York Times
“Push
for New Tactics as War on Malaria Falters”
By Celia Dugger, New York Times
“In
Defense of DDT”
By Roger Bate, National Review Online
DDT: Use It To Stop
Deaths From Malaria In African Countries
African American Environmentalist Association
Malaria: North Should
Buzz Off and Let South Use Chemicals
Press Release: Malaria Foundation International
"God
and Man in the Environmental Debate"
By Jay W. Richards, Acton News and Commentary
"Committing
malpractice on the world's poor"
By Paul K. Driessen, Eco-Imperialism
"DDT"
Wikipedia
“Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Joins Call for DDT to End Malaria; Stopping Malaria's 'Global
Reign of Terror' New Human Rights Cause”
Copenhagen
Consensus: Communicable Diseases
“Fighting
Malaria”
by Marvin Olasky, Townhall.com
“Africa
feels EU's bite”
by Richard Tren and Marian L. Tupy, Washington Times
“South
Africa’s War against Malaria: Lessons for the Developing World”
by Richard Tren and Roger Bate, Cato Institute
“100 Things
you should know about DDT”
by J. Gordon Edwards and Steven Milloy, JunkScience.com
“DDT
Is Only Real Weapon to Combat Malaria”
by Steven Milloy, FOXNews.com
“Fighting
Malaria in Ghana”
by Kofi Akosah, CFD Bulletin
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