Current Policy and Status of DDT Use for Malaria Control in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and South Africa

Abstract

"Each year, the world experiences 300-500 million cases of malaria. Approximately 90 percent of these cases occur in sub-Saharan countries, where over one million children under the age of five die of malaria annually (WHO 2000). Hence, for most African countries, malaria has become an overwhelming public health problem, leading some governments to consider using DDT for malaria control in the midst of a heightened debate about its advantages and disadvantages. This paper seeks to document the nature of the DDT debate in East and Southern Africa by describing the current DDT policy, factors that influence malaria control policy formation as well as views on alternatives to DDT use by malaria and insecticide control specialists and their knowledge about the human health impacts of DDT."