Tests for killing mosquitoes with DDT lined up - Tanzania

In two different e-groups, I have been defending the wise use of DDT. In one instance, I copied and pasted on a fellow's blog, (Koero Mkundi), who had published a post about Malaria and DDT. Today, I am glad to learn from the news report published on Tanzania's daily news paper, TheGuardian, on the subject mentioned above that the Minister for Health in Tanzania has said what I wanted to hear. Note that, Uganda has also embarked on the DDT project as well. It's my hope that, soon, Malaria will be a long forgotten disease.

And by the way, if you wanted to know what I wrote in those e-groups, make sure you read until the end of this post.

The government announced in Parliament yesterday that it would effective this year, launch tests for killing mosquitoes from their breeding grounds using DDT, which was once in use in the country but later banned by authorities. Health and Social Welfare minister Prof David Mwakyusa said this when tabling the budget estimates for his ministry for the 2009/10 financial year in the National Assembly yesterday. “The ministry will use DDT in its pilot study for Mkuranga District,” he told the National Assembly as he pleaded with the legislators to approve 478,993,078,000/- for recurrent and development expenditure for his ministry.

In the budget, which mentioned little about welfare, the minister said his ministry would improve prevention services and treatment of diseases countrywide. He added that more training would be offered to doctors and nurses, laboratory technicians and physicians on examination and treatment of malaria. “The ministry will collaborate with stakeholders in distributing treated mosquito nets free of charge to all children under five,” he said. A total of 14.6 million nets would be distributed.

SOURCE: Patrick Kisembo of THE GUARDIAN

Here are just two of the many emails I remember sending to two e-discussion groups with reference to subject matter (DDT). They were not without a challenge, however, I can not publish someone's response without their permission thus, I will just publish what is mine. Pardon my poor English.

---------- Forwarded message 1 ----------

One day I said, please, somebody else tell me something new, appealing, convincing and absolutely indisputable that I don't know about DDT vs environment and health effects. May be it wasn't in this e-group but I can surely find it from the other group and a blog that I posted it in. In the end I said and I will say it again, if I have to choose between dying of Malaria and it's side effects or DDT and side effects, I have already chosen DDT. That's my choice, that's my right, and it's my informed decision and I stick to it. Give me one reason not to use DDT and I will use DDT a thousand times for that (arrogant I may sound but that I will certainly do in blink of an eye).

---------- Forwarded message 2 ----------

From: Subi;
Date: Sun, Apr 19, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Subject: Re: [MUCHS Alumni] ITN
To: "Dr.George M"
Cc: MUCHS Alumni

Thanks for sharing the study and findings.
I think we still have a war to fight in this. At the moment Malaria seem to be in the winning side. A multi approach is required in eradicating this disease. I wonder why there is no much talk about DDT anymore. Please do not bombard me with it's ill health effects - what's more ill than a death of a child due to Malaria every 1 minute that passes us by? and oh, about the environment concerns - please, give me a break, how much have the third world cared for the environment? and what does the Global Warming report project towards Sub Saharan Countries? - Expect the worst. What good does the environment do if all it does is propagate the breed of more mosquito and other disease vectors? I already know about that, am not ready for a lecture now.

I still defend and advocate for the wise use of DDT in eradicating Malaria. We have used it before at our home in Moshi and for the first 22yrs of my life I never suffered any illness due to Malaria until one stupid day after just a 1 month's field work in Mlali, Morogoro. My kidneys are just perfect, my relatives as well and none had ever been diagnosed with Cancer due to the DDT we carefully used to kill mosquitos. Why did we stop using it? Well, where can we buy it? It's no more in the shops and "Duka la Ushirika" is no more. Politics! Politics! Politics! Too much politics will keep on dividing and killing us even on things that we needed no any tiny bit of it in. Why aren't Italians suffering from the ill effects of DDT? This notion of just agreeing and accepting everything sometimes tickles me off badly big time. Why would they say, "no don't use DDT, it's bad"....after they themselves used it? Puhleez! Alright, say they are right, okay, what difference does it make except changing the mode of death? It's still a death anyway, isn't it?

While others are pushing and making Nuclear Bombs, we on the other end are can not agree to make DDT for safe local use, and we proudly boast that we have distinguished scientists? Yeah, distinguished scientists my foot! Yaani we are debating about making and using DDT carefully as if we are careless? Boy, does anybody need proof what we are. Basically by agreeing with them to not use DDT, we have accepted that we can't be careful. Please give a me a good reason to dispute the benefits of using DDT (and please do not repeat what I said I already know - there is no point of doing that).
What a pity!
I think I am talking to myself too much here.
Have a good week!
.end.
Subi