Articles for January 2007 Select Month January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 Uganda Says DDT Use Won't Affect Neighbours  - Henry Lule The government of Uganda has said that the reintroduction of Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane (DDT) in Uganda will not affect the shared natural resources such as lakes and rivers. Opposition mounts as Malawi plans to re-introduce DDT in malaria fight  - PANA Malawi's health and environmental experts are engaged in a tug of war following announcement Friday that the country would re-introduce Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane (DDT), an agricultural pesticide banned decades ago, in the fight against malaria. Uganda: DDT Will Save 320 Lives Every Day  - Fiona Kobusingye Congratulations to NEMA for authorising the use of DDT for malaria control. In conjunction with bed nets and effective drugs, the chemical will save 320 lives in Uganda everyday. Scientist discover plant found only in Madagascar has anti-malaria properties  - Associated Press ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar: Scientists have isolated a malaria-killing molecule in a plant that generations on this Indian Ocean island have used to treat the mosquito-borne disease. Malaria Vaccine Expected in 2011  - Dr. Seth Owusu Agyei, Director of Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) in the Brong Ahafo Region has stated that he is very hopeful that by the year 2011, the centre would have come out with a malaria vaccine RTS,S, which is currently going through clinical trials, for use in Ghana and across Africa to control malaria. The Seedy Drug Wars  - Dan Okoth A policy shift in malaria treatment last year kicked up a huge storm in the medical fraternity. Uganda: DDT Spraying to Start in April  - Salomwe Alweny Spraying of the controversial DDT to fight Malaria in the country is expected to start in three months time. AFM seeks new director  - AFM AFM seeks a new director for its Washington DC office Uganda: Nema Okays DDT Use for Malaria  - Gerald Tenywa Every house is to be sprayed with DDT to kill mosquitoes in an effort to control the spread of malaria. This follows the decision by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) allowing the use of the controversial DDT. Rwanda Not to Use DDT  - Innocent Gahigana The controversial Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane (DDT) will not be used to control malaria in Rwanda, it has emerged. The chemical was recommended last year by the World Health Organisation (WHO), as a tool to control the disease in the developing countries.

More resources needed for malaria The UN Children's Fund (Unicef) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have appealed to development partners to increase their efforts to prevent and fight malaria, the main child killer in Mozambique. Malaria accounts for around 35% of all deaths among children under five, and the high prevalence is a major contributing factor to Mozambique having one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. In order to step up the fight against the deadly disease, Unicef, WHO, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank launched the "Roll Back Malaria Partnership" (RBM) in 1998. The RBM partnership brings together the governments of countries affected by malaria, their development partners, the private sector, NGOs and community-based organisations, foundations, and research and academic institutions around the common goal of halving the global burden of malaria by 2010. Last year the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria signed an agreement, worth $12-million, with the government of Mozambique to support malaria programmes, one of which includes the distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITN) that prevent bites and kill mosquitoes. Studies have shown that the widespread use of ITNs can reduce child mortality by 20%. Nevertheless, most children in Mozambique still sleep unprotected. According to the Demographic and Health Survey of 2003, only about 10% of under-five children were using ITNs, and there are large geographical disparities, ranging from 3% in Sofala province to 15% in Maputo City, and Zambezia and Gaza provinces. Alicia Carbonell, WHO's programme officer for reproductive health in Mozambique, said that more resources were needed to assist the most vulnerable groups, especially children under five and pregnant women. Contracting malaria during pregnancy could cause the child to be stillborn, and also result in severe anaemia, thought to be a factor involved in up to 30% of maternal deaths. Mozambique has a very high maternal mortality rate, with 408 women in every 100 000 live births dying from pregnancy-related complications. Malaria during pregnancy also leads to a low birth weight -- one of the most important factors in determining a child's future survival and development. The prevalence and intensity of malaria during pregnancy is higher in women who are HIV positive. ITNs were being distributed freely to HIV positive pregnant women and sold at a subsidised rate to mothers with children under five years old. Last year Mozambique became one of 19 countries to adopt the intermittent preventive treatment policy for pregnant women. The Ministry of Health has recommended that all health facilities offer pregnant women at least two doses of Fansidar (a malaria prevention and treatment drug) after their fifth month of pregnancy. "We are now in the process of implementing this," said Carbonell. "We need to make sure there is a stock of Fansidar and proper training of health personnel, but we need more resources for our programme."