Malaria rates underscore need to set aside costly taboos

The author contends that malaria control in Africa is hindered by donor agencies and UN bodies that prioritize ineffective measures, such as insecticide-treated nets, over proven methods like Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) using DDT. The text highlights the success of 'vertical' health programs in Southern African countries and criticizes the influence of the environmental movement and decentralized health systems on public health outcomes. It calls for a science-based approach that integrates IRS and Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) to reduce malaria mortality and morbidity.

• Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) using DDT was highly effective in eradicating malaria in Europe and the US and reducing its burden in Africa, Asia, and Latin America following its introduction after World War II.
• The document argues that 'vertical' health programs—coordinated plans with a clear chain of command and dedicated budgets—are more effective for malaria control than decentralized, horizontal health systems. Countries like South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia, and Botswana have seen greater success using vertical structures, whereas Ethiopia has failed due to the outlawing of such programs.
• The banning of DDT for agricultural use in 1972, spurred by Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring', led to a broader, scientifically unsupported resistance to its use in public health, which the author claims has hindered malaria control.
• In South Africa, the 1996 decision to stop using DDT for malaria control resulted in a six-fold increase in cases, which were only reduced by 80% in one year after DDT was reintroduced in 2000 alongside Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT).
• The author criticizes the WHO's Roll Back Malaria (RBM) programme and partners like the World Bank, UNICEF, and USAID for refusing to support IRS in favor of insecticide-treated nets, which the author claims have more limited success and require over 80% population coverage to be beneficial.
• USAID is accused of spending its $80 million annual malaria budget primarily on US-based consultants rather than on the purchase of insecticides or drugs for malaria control.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2008). Malaria rates underscore need to set aside costly taboos. https://saiia.org.za/research/malaria-rates-underscore-need-to-set-aside-costly-taboos/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Malaria rates underscore need to set aside costly taboos. 2008. https://saiia.org.za/research/malaria-rates-underscore-need-to-set-aside-costly-taboos/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Malaria rates underscore need to set aside costly taboos |date=25 April 2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/malaria-rates-underscore-need-to-set-aside-costly-taboos/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2008malaria, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Malaria rates underscore need to set aside costly taboos}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/malaria-rates-underscore-need-to-set-aside-costly-taboos/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }