[afro-nets] Pesticide use for Malaria Control in Africa (5)

[Tom Oconnell <tsoconnell2@yahoo.com>]

Pesticide use for Malaria Control in Africa (5)
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Hello AFRO-NETTERS,

Dear Bill, you are leaving out a bit. When spraying was proposed
for New Orleans after the hurricane, there was a huge outcry
from those left in the city: they did NOT wish to be subjected
to aerial spraying.

The vast majority of US citizens find it totally unacceptable to
expose themselves or their families to aerial spraying! Every
time it has been tried, the public response was overwhelmingly
against it. The US public always votes against (when allowed) or
protests against any form of aerial spraying, even for Nile
River Valley Fever. For example, communities were very angry
when spraying against the Mediterranean Fruit Fly occurred in
California. People organized protests, filed law suits and gen-
erated a lot of political pressure: & they succeeded in stopping
the spraying.

Almost all aerial spraying in the USA occurs over economically
poor neighbourhoods, where people have little political voice.
They do not spray over Beverly Hills, but now they can aerial
spray in New Orleans, since the only people left are those too
poor to leave (and too poor to have political clout). By and
large, spraying in the USA is done TO people, FOR the benefit of
huge agro-business and other private-sector interests. Communi-
ties do not want aerial spraying: it is only against their will
that the poor find themselves subjected to aerial spraying.

Of course the "rich" in the USA do not use traditional bednets:
they have expensive alternatives. They LIVE inside a huge
"treated bednet", it is called a "custom-built" home. They live
in climate-controlled, sealed houses and can afford topical mos-
quito repellents when they go out. They spray around the outside
of their homes and treat their swimming pools. Such a combina-
tion of interventions is costly and wasteful.

Also, aerial spraying use hundreds of times more pesticides than
well-targeted Indoor Residual Spraying. Why would communities in
Africa welcome aerial spraying and the possible health / envi-
ronmental troubles any more than their North American counter-
parts? Especially when other methods are proven to work very,
very well.

The urgent need is to rapidly increase the use of proven inter-
ventions that work together well: Indoor Residual Spraying,
treated bednets, larvaciding, and FREE and immediate access to
effective anti-malarials for all. And it should be Africa First
for research spending on health, so that better interventions
are created and used very much more quickly. The US & Europe
must be forced to meet their pledges to fund programs now. Ac-
cess to preventative health care and interventions (including
IRS, bednets, etc.) is a human right, and lack of money should
never be a barrier to obtaining them.


Kindest regards,

Tom O'Connell
mailto:tsoconnell2@yahoo.com