[afro-nets] DDT stories 10.01.06 (5)

General afro-nets
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DDT stories 10.01.06 (5)
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Dear Philip Corticelli et al,

Thanks for the interesting articles, I did not get to read the article (on Kenya and DDT) in the papers and I'm shocked. Not by the matter of vested interests, I believe those will always exist for either side of the argument, but rather by the extreme bias against DDT attributed to big pharma and our medics. Coming from the pro DDT side of the fence, I will be the first to admit that Nairobi is almost a no go zone for the timid hearted that may be inclined to my opinion. You will most likely be labelled a heretic and your views declared sacrilegious! However, I will caution to take the information quoted from an "anonymous source" and a few other quotes with a pinch of salt for the following reasons.

First, I believe it would be very unrealistic to claim that medics would be made redundant by the eradication of malaria. For starters, most medics join the noble profession in pursuit of a better life for themselves and their families. This results in a high concentration of medics around the major urban centres, where social amenities etc are available. I am willing to wager that Nairobi which is virtually malaria free owing to her high altitude is home to the vast majority of Kenya's medics, leaving the health delivery systems in rural malaria prone areas i.e. Nyanza, Coast and North Eastern provinces severely handicapped. Why should they knock DDT?

Second, the fear of the big pharma is probably warranted - after all, Nairobi proved the ideal setting for the movie the Constant gardener. Malaria takes up a significant share of the Kenyan government's health expenditure and the same can be said for most of SSA. Thanks to the global fund and other initiatives, more funding for malaria is available and with it the ability to attract the attention of the big pharma. However, malaria is rightly classified as a neglected disease, owing to the fact majority of the people at risk cannot afford treatment, hence no profits to big pharma. Almost all malaria drugs currently in development are there due to public-private-partnerships (PPPs) that seek to address such failings of the laissez faire based health/pharmaceuticals industry. Prior to PPPs, drug development in malaria was dead as a dodo! Is it feasible they are now so interested in "malaria profits" that they would rather encourage less effective malaria transmission control measures?

So what ails Nairobi? I believe it has more to do with misinformation and the lack of information. Many of the policy makers and professionals against DDT are in all likelihood simply recanting what they learnt at university years ago when life was much simpler. Back then the word relativism did not exist; something was either good or bad, and DDT WAS BAD!! Why? Because the professor said so! Many of the critics are medics and not scientists. Few regularly peruse research journals or participate in forums such as this. Throw in the considerable influence of the civil society (Nairobi being the diplomatic centre serving east-central Africa region) whose interests range from championing the environment to the leading development paradigms of the day. Generally, data may mean squat, talk shops are the order of the day, and fads come in and out. For now DDT is out, it definitely breaks the mould of fashionable ideals such as "sustainable" development and not to mention the ever more discerning tastes of the EU market where "organic" is in. Is it any wonder that advocating for DDT can be so unpopular?

How can we win? Simple! 1. Information 2. Information 3. Information! For starters, nobody knows that Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe all use DDT for malaria control and all export fish or agriculture to the EU. Even more importantly that as you reported earlier ..."...the EU, together with the US and 149 other countries, has signed the global Stockholm Convention. *This agreement explicitly allows the use of DDT for disease control* according to World Health Organization guidelines. The allegation that the European Union has threatened partner countries with import bans following the use of DDT for malaria control is entirely unfounded. *It is the policy of the European Commission to recognise the responsibility of each government in its choice of appropriate malaria control techniques.* All governments using DDT have agreed to do so according to the strict criteria of the 2001 Stockholm Convention of Persistent Organic Pollutants. Should food consignments exported to the EU by a partner country using DDT be found to be contaminated with DDT above accepted residue levels, *only the affected consignment would be withdrawn from the market.* It should be noted that there have been no findings of DDT contamination in food imports of Ugandan origin and consequently no disruption in trade. This mirrors the experience with other African exporters of food and food products to the EU."

Contrary to the above, reports of EU threats to close its market if DDT is used against malaria remain rife in the press. And as to EU respecting sovereignty over the matter, let's just say it is seen to strongly influence.

Regards,

Robert Muhia Karanja, PhD cand
Research Officer (Medical Parasitology & Entomology)
Centre for Biotechnology Research & Development
Kenya Medical Research Institute
Mbagathi Way
P.O. Box 54840
NAIROBI, 00200
Kenya
Tel: +254-020-3003115; 2722541/4 Ext 2246 (Office)
Fax: +254-020-2715105/2720030
Website: http://www.kemri.org
mailto:RKaranja@kemri.org

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DDT stories 10.01.06 (6)
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Hello All,
   
Please find below a link to a story I found that should set the record straight about the myth of the Bald Eagle and DDT.
   
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202447,00.html

[BELOW AN EXTRACT OF THE STORY. BP, AFRO-NETS MODERATOR]

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DDT stories 10.01.06 (7)
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Dear Colleagues,

From the latest DDT story, I am perceiving many conclusions, formulas, equations etc. (May be I am wrong). Some of them are as follows:

i) DDT+Trigger-happy US cowboys = vulnerability of US bald Eagles (including embryonic malformation of egg-shell etc.), only exclusion of DDT can't stop it (am I correct?)
ii) DDT is one of the effective means to eradicate malaria mosquito and can save may be million lives in other places in the world than US (again sorry, here different country's state level technological experts advocated other products "a little expensive than DDT", although WHO already has stated clearly for appropriate use of DDT for the purpose! -does WHO get world recognition in this technology as expert?)
iii) If effective and safe, old technology is more sustainable, participatory and community based, appropriate use also can be taught quickly.
iv) Somalian proposition is difficult for a highly populous country like Bangladesh or India or Pakistan, as well as other countries in South Asia. As an example, Bangladesh has 56,000 sq miles, about 150 million population, mostly rural, literacy rate about 41%, but much less % has appropriate health care behavior. Over 70% child and pregnant are malnourished. Some of children are severe acute malnourished, even die with normal food. So, starter food is required to save them which we can't produce (CMV). Nutriset France is one of the unique organization who produce a range of such food and sales in minimal profit. We could procure some while I was leading Special Nutrition Unit (SNU) few years back, funded by Tdh Lausanne since long in remote Bangladesh where hundreds of growth monitoring centers are established to identify acute severe malnourished children in the areas with frequent effects of hunger, starvation and famine.
Why I have described it? Is it not in context of malaria? However, prioritization should be the issues.

And of course, I am not differing to conserve birds, animals or the nature, but we have to think about the human first as you all are also telling. I described it as this is another side of the coin where US bald Eagles are in risk in the same world!

We may be less knowledgeable persons, not included in any such state run technical groups, but we can at least see and tell what has been happening since decades with deadly malaria.

Our last slogan: "Long live bald US Eagle, but let us to survive to see their uniqueness!"

Regards to all.

Sincerely
Dr. Shamim ul Moula
MBBS, Ph.D. PGDHHM
Dhaka
Bangladesh
Mailto:shamimul.moula@gmail.com

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DDT stories 10.01.06 (8)
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Dr. Shamim,
   
I would only clarify your first point. I take exception to your generalization "trigger happy cowboy". Having been a cowboy and avid outdoorsman, (including hunting and fishing) most of my life I can assure you that the major majority of outdoorsman have a deep and abiding love and respect of nature and all who live in it. So please in the future avoid such characterizations.
   
Cheers,

Craig
mailto:cybrcollectinc@yahoo.com

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DDT stories 10.01.06 (9)
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Craig,

I think this is off topic a bit but I decided to post it because I think it makes an important point regarding some recent posts that were made in relation to your previous comments about Africa that Omololu reacted to.

First I have lived in the country most of my life - in the US midwest (SW Missouri). I grew up on a 500 acre farm with 200 hundred head of cattle. For three years I worked the fields doing all the chores a typical American farm boy would. And let me tell you there were plenty of redneck hothead cowboy types. However there were also many good hearted folk as well. In fact I recall my time at my grandpa's ranch as a youth fondly.

Yes there are also the "trigger happy types." Many are attracted to this stereotype of the American cowboy and many say this includes our president Bush. Yet I wonder how much he knows about what it means to actually work the land or animals for that matter (given his rich boy elitist east coast background)? From this reality many when the word cowboy or even country is uttered, react more to the "cowboy posers wannabes" who love their country music, whiskey, big pick up trucks, guns and of course bar fighting. They in making such stereotypical thoughts and assumptions, overlook the reality that many if not most cowboy folk quietly and doggedly live out their country lifestyles on their ranches and farms and are good, peaceful, genuine and friendly people.

These good all American country folk though, in not distancing themselves from what some might refer to as "hotheaded poser rednecks" have really much more in common with those in Islam who have let the Islamic extremists run wild so that they reinforce the stereotypes of Islam that are held by many in the West. To further connect the dots I dont see what is really different or unique about redneck cowboys (red state blue state politics is less about states and more about the distance between urban and rural perspectives and this is a global problem) as one would see in rural parts of the world where women are repressed, minority views are not tolerated and highly conservative views of sexuality and social interactions are strictly enforced.

So then possibly my comments are more relevant here when we consider the importance of more open and free societies (and this must involve not only political changes but social and culture ones as well to ensure that people are encouraged to live in free and socially liberated ways as reflective of their unique individual identity) in addressing challenging public health issues like AIDS, and overpopulation as well as the social issues that relate to them. For example the subjugation of women around the world is closely tied to unhealthy sexual habits and the challenge of keeping population growth down in regions where the needs of the existing populations are not even close to being met.

Jeff Buderer
mailto:jeff@onevillage.biz