AFRO-NETS is about malaria (3)
------------------------------
I think there should be no place for abusive sarcasm in this
list.
Dr Valeria Frighi
University Dept. of Psychiatry
Warneford Hospital
Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
National Patient Safety Agency - supporting Doctors.net.uk mem-
bers in safe practice
http://www.doctors.net.uk/NPSA
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (7)
------------------------------
Hi Dr. Val,
I cannot agree with you more. I am new on the list and I can be-
lieve what I'm reading.
Ben Treveh
mailto:bentreve@yahoo.com
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (8)
------------------------------
To be clear and somewhat redundant, I would have thought there
would be no place on a list serve dedicated to malaria for
statements like "the American fundamentalism [is] a chauvinist
perversion of democracy, law and freedom." Yet it found its way,
was defended by the moderator, and inspired more vibrant discus-
sion and garnered more website hits for Netzkraft than any sin-
gle admission about malaria control I have seen here in several
months. That's extraordinarily depressing. And my saying so is
certainly not abusive sarcasm.
Rock on,
Philip Coticelli
mailto:pcoticelli@gmail.com
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (13)
-------------------------------
Is this list only about malaria? If so, please remove me from
the list.
Aloha, George
George Kent
mailto:kent@hawaii.edu
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (14)
-------------------------------
In my knowledge so far, no body wrote or declared that AFRO-NETS
is only for malaria! Instead I was happy to see that almost all
the mailers were almost in a consensus that we should discuss
all the possible problems relating health including that of Ma-
laria as only in Africa alone, it grabbed about 1.2 million peo-
ple in the last year. Also the factors affecting the health
situation could be beneficial for the subscribers for their un-
derstanding and designing/implementation of the projects / pro-
grams.
I can't understand why it came like that "list only about ma-
laria"? Of course not, all the health problems and related is-
sues prioritized by the subscribers can come here. Please inform
me whether I am wrong to understand the last mail from a honored
subscribers and also I want to know why the KMMN and the malaria
has became an "idiosyncratic" and "hypersensitive" issue to some
people? I would like to request Mr. Philip Coticelli and Paul
Driessen urgently to clarify clearly with relevant data and sta-
tistics why the malaria issue is one of the most important is-
sues to be discussed as they are in the core of the KMMN program
and working too hard. Also I shall request them to explore why
the malaria issue is becoming the cause of "hypersensitivity"
and "angio-neuritic odema" for some of the subscribers? Why KMMN
is suffering so much?
I think the issue is to be settled through clarifications with-
out taking any chance immediately as it is already affecting the
noble program and campaign KMMN! Respect to everybody and hopes
to read all the issues affecting health in AFRO-NETS as those
ill benefit us, the LDC workers of health working in grass
roots.
Regards and respect to everybody. Let us minimize all the confu-
sions if we got any in the regard.
Sincerely,
Dr. Shamim ul Moula
MBBS, PGDHHM, Ph.D.
Grass-root Health Worker
Executive Director, Parallel Force for Development (National NGO)
Director, Safe Life (National NGO)
Director, High Vision Popular Media Service
Deputy Director and Chief, Planning & Monitoring Unit, Dhaka Ah-
sania Mission (Internationally reputed NGO)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Tel: +880-172275061
mailto:shamimul.moula@gmail.com
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (15)
-------------------------------
Dear colleagues,
I didn't express that the list serve was "only" for malaria, but
rather "This [list serve] is intended for discussions about
treating and preventing malaria." Malaria is listed by the World
Health Organization as the deadliest infectious disease among
African children, killing more kids on the continent than AIDS.
It is among the most dramatic burdens on African development and
one for which effective solutions exist.
My comments were intended to refocus discussion on this disease,
certainly to discourage attention paid to momentary partici-
pant's abstract bashing of Americans who believe the Bible is
the word of God. I'm still unconvinced that this was an appro-
priate posting for the moderator to allow. There is no proper
analogy between so-called American fundamentalists, who read the
Bible literally and largely peacefully, and fundamentalists of
any religion who dogmatically perpetrate violence. It is an in-
sult to claim Christians do so.
Dear Dr. Kent, going back a few emails, the definition of
"eristic" at your request is "characterized by disputatious and
often subtle and specious reasoning." With all due respect, I
find it applies nicely to certain contributions you have made.
Feel free to use the word against me in the future. {
Dear Dr. Frighi, thank you sincerely for your concession. I
apologize for my sarcasm.
Merry Christmas to all, especially the moderator!
Philip Coticelli
mailto:pcoticelli@gmail.com
RFI: Literature on the history of DDT usage for malaria eradica-
tion
----------------------------------------------------------------
Hello All!
Re: [afro-nets] AFRO-NETS is about malaria (15)
Thanks for settling this issue amicably. Now let us get on with
the purpose of this list serve. Can somebody provide me with
literature on the history of DDT usage for malaria eradication
in the developed world? Why can we not duplicate this same proc-
ess in the developing world? I came across literature on malaria
prevalence in Chicago in the late 19th century and the role DDT
played in getting rid of mosquitoes in swampy Illinois. As an
economist I can see all the economic losses to the state of Il-
linois and the world had the Chicago area, the capital of the
world's futures market, been a malaria endemic region today. And
as an African who frequently visits my home country Ghana I al-
ways see the losses in productivity due to morbidity from ma-
laria, not counting the losses from premature death.
My big question is what are the arguments for and against DDT
applications in the right (scientifically determined) propor-
tions in Africa? I love to address this question both ethically
and economically.
Happy Holidays,
Edward Mensah
Health Economist
University of Illinois, Chicago
mailto:dehasnem@uic.edu
RFI: Literature on the history of DDT usage (2)
-----------------------------------------------
There is a book on malariology though am not sure it will help
you that well. But there is another book called "the fever
trail"*.... I found it interesting and it had some references
too.
Isaac Kigozi
mailto:kigoziisaac76@yahoo.co.uk
--
[* From the Moderator:
The Fever Trail: In Search of the Cure for Malaria
by Mark Honigsbaum
From Picador, May 2003
344 pages, US$ 14.00 - Trade Paperback (ISBN 0-312-42180-X)]
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (16)
-------------------------------
Philip,
Thank you for your posting. I agree with you about distractions
on subjects that have no real use on this site. I started sub-
scribing to this site because I follow Africa as closely as time
will allow. My main concern is getting rid of malaria and I hope
that the discussions will focus on this terrible disease, and
how to get rid of it. I know from being there that no country
can truly prosper when it's citizenry is sick with a disabling
disease like malaria.
I believe that the technology exists to all but eradicate ma-
laria, that it is cost effective, and should be done. I also be-
lieve that the funding is out there, but it seems difficult to
obtain. I hear a lot of people saying that something needs to be
done, but many people believe in different methods. I believe
that nothing will ever change unless we can agree on what will
work and what has not. We only need to look at countries like
Australia, and the United States where malaria has been all but
eradicated and see that these methods produce results for all of
the people. Yes, better drugs will help too but it is only
treating the disease not doing away with the cause of the dis-
ease.
Mosquitoes are the cause of malaria and they are not that hard
to control. It is being done every day. Africa is a place of
many things, it has vast resources that are only being scratched
today. I would love to see things improve for the people of Af-
rica.
I guess I have gotten a little long winded here, I will be look-
ing forward to a Happy and Prosperous New Year for all.
Craig Audiss
mailto:cybrcollectinc@yahoo.com
RFI: Literature on the history of DDT usage (3)
-----------------------------------------------
Dear Edward,
The short, debatable answer to your question is that mid-19th
century efforts to eradicate malaria in Africa using DDT were
hindered by the continent's poor infrastructure and weak post-
colonial management of public health programs. Not so in the de-
veloped world. The short, rather uncontestable addendum is that
environmentalist groups have made it nearly impossible to use
DDT for malaria control since the 1970s. So donors have avoided
it and Africa has suffered greatly.
There is a wealth of information about DDT, past, present and
future on Africa Fighting Malaria's website,
http://www.fightingmalaria.org with tabs for Articles, Research
and FAQs. Please note that the webpage may not be formatted for
your screen, so shift around to find the scroll bars in order to
access all of the information available.
My colleagues Dr. Richard Tren and Dr. Roger Bate have written a
book about this topic which can be viewed in PDF (112 pp. 355
kB) here, http://www.iea.org.uk/files/upld-publication26pdf?.pdf
or purchased in paperback from Amazon.com http://amazon.com/.
The bibliography contains numerous references to malaria eradi-
cation in the developed world. They are the Directors of AFM and
can be reached at mailto:rtren@fightingmalaria.org and
mailto:rbate@fightingmalaria.org.
Another book is forthcoming by a different author which we be-
lieve will answer some questions and concerns about the health
risks and net benefits about DDT definitively. I'll be sure to
copy the information to this list when it is available.
Sincerely,
Philip Coticelli
mailto:pcoticelli@gmail.com
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (17)
-------------------------------
Hi Philip,
I am very glad you mention how malaria was eradicated from the
US and Australia. This was done because they wanted to. I tell
what, in today's world political economy, the techs exist for a
repeat of the feats done in the US and Aussie. But it will not
be done! No.
Malaria has become an economic commodity in the international
political economy. And Poor Africa is at the receiving end. I
believe you know what I am talking about. Bi/Multi-lateral do-
nors including the UN give monies for malaria control viz pur-
chase of treated nets and medicines which are imported from the
donor countries. The essential clause in such donor agreements
does not allow the use of the funds to deal with the physi-
cal/environmental factors that promote the breeding of mosqui-
toes in the first place! Because if mosquitoes are eradicated
from Africa you can imagine what would happen to the economies
of the donor countries which manufacture the bednets, chemicals
and the drugs!
For me disease eradication from Africa with the assistance will
remain a mirage until the citizens of the continent arise. But
which African state is capable??! The kinds of leaderships,
petit bourgois who dance to the tunes of donors in the name of
democracy? It is a far fetched dream.
Ben Treveh
mailto:bentreve@yahoo.com
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (18)
-------------------------------
Indeed it is a far fetched dream but one we may live to see. The
conditions on donor monies you cite are precisely the ones for
which KMMN is lobbying. Forgive me, everyone, if I am beating a
repetitive drum here, but a few postings ago I included a state-
ment by USAID that they will begin funding insecticide spray-
ing/"environmental management" directly in 2006. This is good
news and I will report on the progress to the group as it be-
comes available.
However, I'm not sure the few factories that make mosquito nets
or the tiny fraction of Big Pharma dedicated to the manufacture
of anti-malarials generate significant profit for developed
countries to give much of a care. And even if they did, I don't
believe rich countries are malevolent enough to keep people in
bad health to service their economies and line their pockets.
I'm sure others will disagree, particularly for larger issues
like trade, but self-interest is different from exploitation.
Philip Coticelli
mailto:pcoticelli@gmail.com
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (19)
-------------------------------
Thanks, Mr. Ben Treveh for the mail, hope many of us can now
think for the practicality and do the needful in their capaci-
ties for eradicating or restricting the malaria. And thus, may
be one day the manufactures find nothing such beneficial to
manufacture, at least by nurturing malaria in the planet Earth
for their own commercial benefits in cost of the millions' lives
in the poor countries.
But we shouldn't leave the hope, there will be a day when we can
join our hands together to strike the interested quarters who
makes money in costs of millions' lives. Let us be prepared with
community participation and specialized knowledge with required
scientific capabilities and through launching awareness and ad-
vocacy campaigns in the context. If the common people even from
the developed world can know the facts, these quarters will be-
come isolated and thus will be defeated for ever.
Let us start from this moment... dear friend, petit bourgois
should be subjected to "political actions", so they will be
bound to take a side, either for the people, or against the peo-
ple! So, these sorts of political actions are necessary, if not
the revolutions! Identified enemies are far better and more eas-
ier to be confronted than the non-identified enemies as they can
do more harm to the common people as they conceal their identi-
ties and act as the well wishers (what some of us we can assume
now). I would request not to smell Marxism in these very plain
words, as it is now the realities.
Regards,
Dr. Shamim ul Moula
Grassroot health worker
Dhaka, Bangladesh
mailto:shamimul.moula@gmail.com
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (20)
-------------------------------
A beautiful reflection, of a sad reality.
As long as the masses are gullible, leaders of gullible nations
and other beneficiary nations would take them for a ride.
That is why there are aids, reservations, civil wars, etc. to
keep people ignorant.
If we need to change all these, we need to make global transpar-
ency and accountability, a way of life.
Let it be our resolve, to make a small beginning in 2006.
RFI: Literature on the history of DDT usage (4)
-----------------------------------------------
Hello Edward,
You may find the below references interesting. Some are from a
Nov 2002 symposium on the issues surrounding DDT use in the con-
trol of malaria, at Duke University. Most of them have internet
links, where you can get more information.
Also, see the brief letter from Dr Alan Lymbery (from 2004), who
summarises the consensus view of most experts who work on ma-
laria control in Africa. That letter, under the title "Putting
Myths to Bed" can be found here:
http://kenethmiles.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_kenethmiles_archive.html#107570569615970184
Hope this is of use. Have a Happy New Year!
Tom O'Connell,
Consultant, health policy and planning
mailto:tsoconnell2@yahoo.com
--
Recent References
1) The WHO's 10 things you need to know about DDT under the
Stockholm Convention
http://www.who.int/malaria/docs/10thingsonDDT.pdf
2) The WHO's official position paper on DDT use, at:
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2004/WHO_HTM_RBM_2004.53.pdf
3) See more WHO docs on insecticide use at
http://www.who.int/malaria/ddtandmalariavectorcontrol.html
4) A brief description of some of those active in the DDT debate
is at http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Malaria_and_DDT
5) The WHO's frequently asked questions on DDT use for disease
vector control at http://www.who.int/malaria/docs/FAQonDDT.pdf
6) See an interesting exchange entitled 'DDT madness'. It points
out some of the difficulties in making a decision, such as the
development of DDT-resistant mosquitoes in Sri Lanka in 1969.
http://timlambert.org/2005/02/11#ddt2
7) Graham, John D. and Jonathan Baert Wiener. Risk vs. Risk:
Tradeoffs in Protecting Health and the Environment (Harvard Uni-
versity Press, 1995).
8) Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
adopted 23 May 2001, available at http://www.pops.int/
9) World Health Organization. Economic impact of malaria.
http://www.rbm.who.int/cmc_upload/0/000/015/363/RBMInfosheet_10.htm
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (21)
-------------------------------
I do not agree that nothing will ever be done. Although I do be-
lieve that if you are ever going to get it done it will have to
be in the private sector. US Aid and the UN and other bodies
like them are too political and narrow minded. In the case of
the UN and other similar agencies by the time money would be al-
located and all the palms greased, there would be this restric-
tion and this mandate and this special interest group and stud-
ies everywhere to guarantee that the project either never got
done or never got done properly to insure success.
We need the experts to be able to go forward, with adequate
funding and keep everyone else out of it for a reasonable chance
of success. When the project is successful then industry flour-
ishes and funding for the mosquito project is taken over by ei-
ther the government or the industrial base or both.
As for global transparency, never happen.
Craig Audiss
mailto:cybrcollectinc@yahoo.com
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (22)
-------------------------------
We live in challenging times but when have not the times been
challenging in some way to the particular group of people living
in those times. Challenge is a necessary part of human life.
As far as things getting done, it is not simply a matter of the
UN and other quasi-government bodies being too political and
narrow minded but rather a case of people being too oriented to
think about themselves and their own realities even when sus-
taining that realities comes at the expense of the social and
ecological commons. I would caution against seeing the private
sector as some sort of panacea to these complex and embedded is-
sues that go to the heart of how we see the world and live our
lives on this planet.
That is what I see as one of the challenges of the professional-
ism that now dominates our world, there is often a reluctance to
see clearly the connection with our own unease with ourselves
socially and what we are doing to the planet.
The idea that we need experts to go forward, with adequate fund-
ing is true enough but what does it mean to keep everyone else
out of it for a reasonable chance of success.
Has it really been a lack of money that led to the experts fail-
ing in the past or their own arrogance that they knew what was
good for people that had never even met?
>global transparency, never happen.
No it has to happen. With that kind of thinking it how could it
ever happen? When we say 'never' we close our minds to any pos-
sibility it will ever happen. Multiply that by millions of pro-
fessional "experts" and billions of people and what do you get?
Well you get the present mess we have. It is the human condition
as so many like to call it - which seems increasingly depressing
and overwhelming to many if not most people as they grow older
that they give up on the idea of making a difference in the
world and focus on their own material and power needs. This is
humanity's pattern in the modern world and thus the human condi-
tion in contemporary times despite all the technology hype is
not much different than the pre-modern human condition.
The locus of corruption is not sustained by the idea that people
are bad or corruptible but rather than they are worn down by the
very societies that are supposed to supporting and helping them.
This explains for me at least why it is such a challenge to get
large scale programs to work in regards to Africa, malaria, AIDS
or with many development initiatives overall. Apathy, indiffer-
ence and greed are not simply problems endemic in developing re-
gions but are common in all parts of the world.
Keep in mind that where development has worked has been where
countries decided to go on the self-help route of austerity and
self-discipline as was the case with Japan and then Taiwan and
Korea's success and now the emerging economic powers in Malay-
sia, India, Thailand, China and others in Asia. These countries
may not have started out transparent they are becoming more open
as they modernize and develop their economies. While they may
have not been transparent starting in their development process,
they had strong governments and social nets and the leaders were
authentically committed and dedicated to the well being of their
people and not just to their own need for power and wealth.
I see any effective health care program (including one that ad-
dresses local health care challenges such as malaria and AIDS)
as needing to be closely linked with local efforts at developing
and implementing a plan for comprehensive sustainable economic
development that is tied to together with planning and coordina-
tion that involves local, regional national and international
networks of experts, administrators and innovators. This in-
cludes reforms in governance such as: movements towards trans-
parency, accountability as well as a commitment - particularly
on the part of the local stakeholders who are the direct benefi-
ciaries of these programs - to democratic and open governance.
Jeff Buderer
mailto:jeff@onevillage.biz
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (22)
-------------------------------
>
> AFRO-NETS is about malaria (21)
A very nice proposal that could be thought to deal with malaria
in private sectors. But it requires huge money and technology
those can be only made available by the Government or the donors
possibly. So, in this case, we need possibly Government patroni-
zation, but only a "popular" Government will do that. How to
make them a real "welfare" Government to look after the matter?
Or to take the interim strategies to achieve "as much as we can"
for the millions deprived from the present actors in the field
like donor and corrupted Governments through strongest global
and country-wise advocacy and massive awareness campaigns until
we get the Governments people oriented in real sense? And that
is another chapter to make them really people's oriented, trans-
parent and clean up to an extent!
Still hope, community based participatory interventions by the
CBO/NGO with optimal knowledge like DDT are sufficient to re-
strict malaria, no precision technology is required for whom,
sometimes millions of US $ is shifted to the consultants' pock-
ets.
In my country Bangladesh, I was very much surprised to meet a
busy western consultant in the Bangladesh World Bank office
while planning National Health and Population Program (HPSP) in
1998. The comparatively young fellow kindly informed me that he
had been contributing in our mentioned planning! Also he in-
formed me that he was just a literature graduate and first time
in Bangladesh so far I can remember now! Who are they? How are
they recruited? How do they dare to dictate the local experts
with more academic fits and indigenous knowledge? I heard of an
expat who came here to lead a community health & nutrition pro-
gram for a world famous western NGO with past experience of bak-
ery business in his country! How can we people get rid of these
"experts"?
Please forgive if I hurt anyone, but these are the plain truths.
Regards,
Dr.Shamim ul Moula
Dhaka, Bangladesh
mailto:shamimul.moula@gmail.net
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (24)
-------------------------------
Jeff,
I agree with you on some points, when I spoke of experts, I mean
people who understand mosquitoes (anemologists) people who have
actually done these things which would be in charge. It goes
without saying that if you have bureaucracy running any project
telling the people who know how, how to do the project you will
have chaos and inefficiency. When we build a building we don't
have politicians or doctors telling the engineers and skilled
labor force how to do the work. This is what I meant by keeping
everyone else out of it. Which is exactly why I don't believe
agencies like the UN etc. can get the job done. They micro man-
age things to death. They burn up most of the money with sur-
veys, meetings, and such nonsense and after a year or two of
that the money is gone and the people keep on dying.
The private sector however is not like that, they expect results
for their money they spend, and rightfully so. The private sec-
tor is always more efficient than any government or bureaucracy.
What does it take to do a mosquito project? If a government
gives permission for an independent to do the project he comes
and does it. What could be more simple than that?
We need to understand that government cannot solve our problems
for us and we should not expect them to do so. What we should
expect is that government will make it possible for us to solve
our own problems. Which I believe is what you were eluding to. I
don't think that we have the same definition of transparency so
I will leave it at that.
I think it is possible for a bureaucracy to do things but it
takes a lot longer and costs a lot more.
Craig Audiss
mailto:cybrcollectinc@yahoo.com
AFRO-NETS is about malaria (34)
-------------------------------
Thanks Craig for the thoughtful response but I do believe that
the problem is more than about simply letting the people who un-
derstand mosquitoes (anemologists) be in charge. Anemologists
study bugs not people.
We need people running these projects that understand not only
the reality that sustains malaria from a scientific perspective,
the available solutions but also and I would say most impor-
tantly a strong understanding of the human conditions in the
particular regions where the programs operate.
We are not simply dealing with the issue of the organizational
dysfunctionality. That comes up with any large bureaucracy run-
ning a project. Rather the deeper problem is that we are living
in a reality defined and dominated in a highly technocratic sys-
tem driven primarily by arrogance and greed. The truth is that
in such a system, no one is truly in control and all of humanity
has become prisoner to our own uncritical worship of technologi-
cal progress - without considering the long-term implications of
the dramatic changes on our societies and every day lives
through rapid modernization and development. This is not to say
that modernism or modernization is bad or that we should back to
when there was no modernity but rather there are some aspects of
modern life that may need to be reconsidered such as for example
our reliance on fossil fuel and the automobile.
Agencies like the UN etc. can't get the job done because the
people in power don't want them too. Similarly, the real problem
is not malaria itself but rather the convoluted intentions and
motives of those who wield real power in the Development Indus-
try.
Your argument that they "burn money up" with surveys, "meetings,
and such nonsense and after a year or two of that the money is
gone and the people keep on dying," definitely has some truth to
it. According to many reports available that quote the amount
spent on development consulting to be nearly half of the total
amount spent on development (source: Action AID?). To me that
ridiculous figure is simply another indication that corrupt in-
deed takes many forms.
So do you see my point? It is not about seeing malaria as a
problem in itself because the reason why we are not winning the
fight against the disease goes much deeper than that. Therefore,
if we continue to see the problem as simply finding more effec-
tive ways to fight malaria we will in all likelihood fail.
The problem is not simply with government it is with top down
approaches in government, NGOs, academia and business - all as-
pects of society. The solution is in developing more integrated
ways of solving problems in a way that is truly and authenti-
cally considerate of the needs of the people we claim to serve
as professionals, government officials, aid workers, entrepre-
neurs etc. Government fails when it operates in denial of the
needs of the people it is supposed to serve and the same applies
to all other sectors mentioned.
Jeff Buderer
mailto:jeff@onevillage.biz