This is simply good planning, and good planning needs time and cash. Provisions related to the reduction and or elimination of DDT are among the key issues to be discussed in Bonn this week. Extensive use of DDT for agricultural purposes has resulted in serious damage to the global environment. Although the pesticide is now banned from agricultural use, it continues to be used in limited quantities for public health purposes. WHO projections suggest that the amounts of DDT needed for malaria control are a small fraction of what has been used for agricultural purposes.
Further reductions are possible.
Environmentally safer alternatives to DDT do exist and more are under development. For many malaria-affected countries, responsible DDT use is a vital strategy in situations where alternatives are not available and where the potential loss of human life associated with unstable malaria transmission and epidemics is greatest. They will try to eliminate its use, but to do this they want help to ensure that there are minimal adverse health consequences as a result the of their decisions. WHO emphasizes the need for negotiators in Bonn to consider the available information on current public health uses of DDT and existing and potential alternatives, and has been working in collaboration with UNEP to ensure that this information is available. WHO and UNEP have also been working in partnership to ensure wide consultation and participation in POPs discussions at the country, regional and global levels.