Evening star., 1952-04-02
Full Eradication in Sioht
Of MuIurioI Mosquitoes
Represents Greatest Triumph
Of Preventive Medicine

Represents Greatest Triumph
Of Preventive Medicine
By Thomos R. Henry
Complete eradication of malarial mos
quitoeS-and hence elimination of man
kinds most devastating disease-now is
in sight.
It will represent preventive medicines
greatest triumph. Throughout greater
part of history malaria has claimed more
victims than any other single disease.
It has brought about the downfall of
empires. the collapse Of civilizations. It's
conquest now is practical and some
major victories have come since the end
of the war.
The new outlook is due largely to the
war-spurred development of such cheap
and effective insecticides as DDT and to
more efficient spraying methods The
great progress made is described in the
annual report of the Rockefeller Foun-
dation's International Health Division.
Perhaps the best record has been in
the United States. AS late as 1915
there were at least a million cases of
malaria in twelve Southern States. In
some parts of the Mississippi Delta ap-
proximately half the population were
infected. Efforts to eliminate the mos
quito carriers were started at that time
but the process was slow and expensive
altogether too costly, In fact, for any
but rich country to undertake They
were hopelessly out of the reach of such
country as India with its enormous
malaria-ridden population.
Virtually Wiped Out in U. S.
The result of persistent efforts in the
United States. largely carried out be-
fore cheaper techniques were found, is
that there now are less than 5000 cases
in the whole country.
Up to the start of the war the cost
Of malaria control ranged, depending on
the environment. from SO cents to $4
per person. It was estimated that little
real progress could be made unless this
cost was brought down to about 10
cents per person. A notable example of
what is possible today. according to the
Rockefeller report, is the postwar ex-
perience Of the state of Bombay. Two
million homes Of approximately 5000, 900
persons have been rid of the disease
carrying mosquitoes at a cost Of about
six cents per person.
Malaria" says the report, "has been
checked in Venezuela, Brazil, British
Guiana, Argentina, Cyprus, Mauritius,
Ceylon and parts Of India and the way
to effective control throughout the world
is wide open"
Less complete victories have been won
elsewhere. The causes for the fall of
Greek civilization have been much de-
bated, but one of the major ones was
certainly the weakening Of the popula-
ton by malaria. AS late as 1905, in q
total Greek population Of about 2,50O.-
600, 1t was estimated that there were
at least million cases Of this inter-
m1ttent fever with more than 5000
deaths each year attributed to it. De-
spite troubled conditions in Greece since
the war. mosquito eradication has
brought 1t to q disease of minor i'm
portance.
So far as their effects on history are
concerned, malariaS worst ravages have
been in Italy. It is believed to have been
a major reason for the collapse of
Rome. Conditions were not materially
better during the last war. Hundreds of
American soldiers returned from Italy
with the infection in their blood But
since the war the disease has become
Insignificant.
The disease, the report reveals, has
been virtually eliminated since the war
, from Sardinia. This big Mediterranean
island was the worst-affected part of
Italy. Basically as fertile land as either
Sicily or the nearby Corsica, it was
thinly populated. undeveloped and des-
perately poor 1t had an average popula-
ton Of only 81 per square mile, COM
pared with 139 for the country as a
whole. Fear of malaria, and the ban
ditry which was partly the result of it,
kept the bulk of the population in small
villages, from which the peasants
travelled each day to their fields, often
miles away. One result was that these
fields were poorly cultivated.
Mediterranean Drive Successfu.
Sardinia has stirring annals. Great
wars have swept over it. It has played
significant part in European history.
But, says the report, "the years 1946 to
1850 may well 60 down in the annals Of
Sardinia as the most significant in its
long and varied history"
In general relatively isolated areas,
from the viewpoint of mosquito invasion,
campaigns Of complete mosquito eradi-
cation have been carried out with ap-
parent success. Notable among these is
the British island Of Cyprus where ma
laria long has been q major problem.
For the past half century the govern
ment has fought the disease there, but
with Indifferent success. Just before the
war there was virtual epidemic with
$4,000 cases. Last year, when the eradi-
cation campaign was nearing its end,
not a single new case Of malaria was
reported. It is quite likely that every
mosquito has been eliminated.