Abstract:
The introduction of DDT and related pesticides in the war
against malaria in Asia, Africa and Latin America during the
1940s had a dramatic impact on anopheles mosquito populations and consequently on the worldwide incidence of malaria. The
initial success of pesticide spraying created immense optimism on the part of health officials and economic planners. For the
first time, it appeared that malaria, which had had such a
devastating impact on human populations and had retarded economic development in tropical and sub-tropical areas, could be controlled or even eradicated. Thirty years later, however,
malaria has made a major comeback. … The resurgence of malaria in many areas has been linked to the so-called "green-revolution", the development of large scale agricultural projects combined with the extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides to increase agricultural production. The heavy use of pesticides succeeded in controlling some crop destroying peats, however, it had the unforseen consequence of producing DDT resistant strains of anopheles mosquitoes, short circuiting vector control measures and making possible the
recommencement of malaria transmission in areas in which the
disease had been brought under control.
