Frog 'key to mosquito repellents' -
BBC News
Some research is catchy and sounds interesting, but offers little in the way of practical applications - this seems to be the case with research from Australia which finds secretions from a frog may be an effective mosquito repellent. Interesting ... but of little use to malaria control.
WHO/HQ renames and reorganizes malaria department -
WHO media release
We think this could spell good news from WHO. The newly appointed head of malaria control, Dr Arata Kochi seems to be shaking things up at WHO's malaria control unit and Roll Back Malaria (RBM). RBM is widely seen as a failure, so Dr Kochi's efforts are more than welcome.
Mugabe 'feels 28' as he turns 82 -
BBC News
Zimbabwe's despotic leader Robert Mugabe turns 82 today and has a party to celebrate. AFM is disgusted by his profligate life style while Zimbabwe lies in tatters around him and his corrupt and violent clique. See our Research section for AFM research papers on Zimbabwe - 'Despotism and Disease' and 'State in Fear'.
Wasteful spending sickening? -
JAMES S. TYREE
Oklahoma’s junior senator cited the fight against malaria as an example of wasteful spending. Coburn said USAID was given $104 million in a recent year for a program to fight malaria, but only $4 million went to actual treatment.
But this year, about $100 million of the program’s $120 million will pay for medical treatment, DDT pesticides to malaria-carrying insects and other means to actually fight the disease.
Worse than a hypocrite -
JAY AMBROSE
A major tragedy _ this one should make us all shudder _ has been the way in which extreme environmental groups have been able to limit the use of DDT as one of the most powerful weapons for fighting malaria in Africa
Malaria vaccine 'close' -
Roberta Mancuso
Australian scientists believe a vaccine for malaria could be available within five years as they prepare to take an "unconventional approach" to human trials.
South Africa: Winning the war against malaria, so far -
Reuters
KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa has had phenomenol results in reducing the number of malaria cases - thanks largely to a well-run IRS program using DDT and the use of effective malarial drugs.
Plans to reduce malaria deaths in Zambia by 75 percent -
The Government, international donors and the nongovernmental organisations (NGO) have affiliated in hopes of dramatically bringing down the number of deaths caused by Malaria in Zambia. This is all part of a new initiative which hopes to see numbers drop with in three years.
What Are the Priorities in Malaria Research? -
PLoS Medicine Editorial
PLoS Medicine reflects on the recent MIM Conference and assesses the priorities in malaria research. We are encouraged to see that residual spraying made it onto the list, for too long it has been shunned.
Malaria Infection Linked to Rampant Poverty -
Joseph Kamugisha
Which way does causation run, from malaria to poverty or poverty to malaria? The government can do something simple like spraying small amounts of DDT on the inside walls of dwellings to prevent large scale malaria outbreaks and increase the productive capacity of the workforce.
Scientists Able to Predict Malaria Epidemics Months in Advance -
Jessica Berman
Scientists say they have developed a computer model that can tell them whether a malaria season will be mild or severe five months before it occurs. Experts say the information provided by the model gives public health officials in countries with limited resources time to prepare for a severe malaria outbreak.
Manto hails DDT against malaria 10/04/2024 23:46 - (SA)
Durban - Health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang urged countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to use the insecticide DDT to combat malaria, saying it had reduced the number of malaria cases in South Africa by 42%, SABC radio news reported.
Tshabala-Msimang, who was speaking at the launch of the "Racing Against Malaria" Campaign in Ndomu, KwaZulu-Natal made the recommendation despite the frequent arguments that DDT is dangerous for the environment.
According to the report, the campaign would also be taken to other SADC countries before ending in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania on April 25 - Africa Malaria Day.
Malaria is one of the top five killers on the continent.
DDT was banned in the early 1990s in South Africa, but it was later re-listed for restricted use against malaria sectors after it was found that the substitute chemical was not as effective.
