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Continued from page 16 – No Money for DDT Spraying“DDT presents no health risks when used properly.”However Jay Feldman, the executive director of BeyondPesticides, an American company specializing in DDTissues, says this view is “short-sighted and doesn’trecognize the long-term problems and hazards.”There was concern, that if Uganda began using DDT, itsagricultural products could be banned in Europe. DDTuse has been prohibited in Europe for over 20 years.Dr. Otaala believes that by weighing in favour of DDTuse, WHO has completely laid these concerns to rest.Currently the government is spraying lambdathylothrin(ICON) in malaria-infected regions.The National Coordinator of Roll Back Malaria ControlProgramme, John Bosco Rwakimari, said last week theyare spraying Icon after all traditional ways they have beenusing failed.The ministry has been using case management, mosquitonetting, and clearing bushes as methods of fightingmalaria.☻☻☻☻☻☻DDT Agenda is SuspiciousMay 10, 2007Daily MonitorEllady MuyambiI have heard Ministry of Health officials agitating for there-introduction of DDT in Uganda in order to fightmalaria. DDT cannot be a solution to this problem.We submitted our petition to the National EnvironmentManagement Authority (Nema) for failing to observe therequired standards. Government must employ DDTalternatives. For example, using pyrethrins. Some peoplehave argued that these are expensive, but in reality theyare cheaper than DDT. All you need to do is to computethe cost of implementing the WHO recommendation forapplying DDT for IRS. Secondly, there has been massproductions of these products basically because there areno legal provisions for biocides.Johnson and Johnson of USA signed a contract with theWHO board to deliver 60,000 tons every year. Thecompany, however, is not obliged to buy the stocks butthe stocks have to be there – a silly contract? No it is not,it was meant to stifle the development of pyrethrin-basedproducts for malaria control especially at the height of thenegotiations for the Stockholm Convention. This wasmeant to create the impression that there was no productwhich could replace DDT.I was appalled at the level of ignorance of some Ministryof Heath officials. They are convincing people that DDTwiped out mosquitoes in the US. Have they visited theUS in summer? Secondly, in early 2000, there was anoutbreak of encephalitis transmitting mosquitoes in NewYork and Mayor Rudi Guilliani contemplated using DDTbut never due to public pressure.Any entomologist will tell you that IRS can only work inepisodic malarial regions and in these places mosquitodensity peaks at certain (levels) as is the case in SouthAfrica, where contrary to popular opinion they have notwiped out malaria with DDT spraying.The writer is General Secretary, Uganda Networkon Toxic Free Malaria Control.☻☻☻☻☻☻Chinese Malaria DrugsRecalled in KenyaAugust 17, 2007BBC NewsA Chinese pharmaceutical firm plans to recall thousandsof anti-malarial drugs supplied to Kenya after discoveringa counterfeit syndicate.The vice-president of Holley-Cotec Pharmaceuticals said20,000 doses of Duo-cotecxin will be removed fromsale. He told the BBC an analysis of the counterfeitproduct showed it had very low active ingredients andpatients taking it would not be cured. An estimated35,000 people die of malaria in Kenya each year.Duo-cotecxin is one of the artemisinin-based combinationtherapy drugs highly recommended by World HealthOrganization to treat malaria and is widely supplied ingovernment and private hospitals in Kenya. A full doseof Duo-cotecxin costs about $5 in Kenya, thecounterfeited drug is being sold for less than $1.New technologyThe Ministry of Health has been spearheading acampaign to crack down on counterfeit drugs that arereadily available in the Kenyan market.Dr Willy Akwale, who heads the government antimalariacontrol unit, said this is the first case of acounterfeit supply of artemisinin combination therapydrugs. "There have been many counterfeits on thesulphur-based anti-malaria drugs before, forcing us tohave difficulties in countering the disease," Dr Akwaletold the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.Eric Law, Holley-Cotec Pharmaceuticals' vice-president,Continued on page 18-17- Traditional African Clinic July/August 2007