anenglishman Posted September 16, 2006 Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 WHO backs DDT for malaria control Mosquito, BBC Malaria, carried by the mosquito, kills more than a million each year The World Health Organization (WHO) has reversed a 30-year policy by endorsing the use of DDT for malaria control. The chemical is sprayed inside houses to kill malaria-carrying mosquitoes. DDT has been banned globally for every use except fighting disease because of its environmental impacts and fears for human health. WHO says there is no health risk, and DDT should rank with bednets and drugs as a tool for combating malaria, which kills more than one million each year. "The scientific and programmatic evidence clearly supports this reassessment," said Dr Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, WHO assistant director-general for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. OK......I will admit to bias. I despise the WHO and have had to deal with their pathetic politics for too many years. The lifting of the ban on DDT is good news. People have been calling for the ban to be lifted for 30 years, yet as recently as 2004 the WHO made the ban global amidst scientific "proof" of its harm to health. Politics, not science, is what really determines policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeusbheld Posted September 17, 2006 Report Share Posted September 17, 2006 politics has been, and always will be, what determines policy. DUH. what planet do you live on that it took you this long to figure that one out??? as for DDT, it may or not be harmless, i'm not going to bother reading up on it, because even if it is dangerous, malaria is a serious and much more immediate health risk. so i agree, it is good news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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