NEW YORK — Malaria continues to be endemic in the developing world, causing more than 1 million deaths every year, mostly among children living in Sub-Saharan countries.
Because of the failure to develop a truly effective vaccine against malaria, public health intervention remains focused on controlling the mosquito vector of the parasite that causes the disease. And, just as it has for decades, mosquito control relies mainly on the use of the insecticide DDT (dichloro-diphenyl- trichloroethane). While highly effective in controlling the mosquito population, there are serious drawbacks to DDT use.
The good news is that the results of a new project carried out in Mexico and Central America show that the fight against malaria does not have to depend on using DDT. In Mexico and the Central American countries, it is estimated that around 108.7 million people live in areas that are environmentally favorable to transmission of malaria, with 35 percent at high risk of contracting the disease.