The sign seen on a wall in San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 23, 2014, announces a dengue epidemic and to take all precautions. A mosquito image requires no translation. DDT has been banned in the United States since 1972, but in the U.S. territory, Puerto Rico, mosquitoes are a much more serious problem and the current dengue epidemic underscores the need for mosquito eradication. In the 50s and 60s, malaria was eradicated from Puerto Rico by using DDT. DDT has never been shown to cause more harm to humans than malaria and dengue fever which can cause lifetime debilitation and sometimes death. That is why the World Health Organization reconsidered its recommendation to ban DDT worldwide made 30 years ago and recommended in 2006 spraying DDT indoors on walls. WHO gives indoor use of DDT a clean bill of health. It was a question of human life weighed against environmental harm, and unfortunate tradeoff until we find a substitute for DDT.
 |
| Posted on a wall in Puerto Rico, May 23, 2014 |
“The Excellent Powder” by Donald Roberts is an excellent read on the history of DDT. I should also mention that chikungunya virus is spread by the same mosquitoes that transmit dengue virus. The disease has made it into the Caribbean, and is likely to his the US soon. See: http://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/geo/americas.html
ReplyDelete