Problem
Infectious diseases have been killing large quantities of people for many centuries. Often, scientists are interested at looking at environmentally related diseases. These diseases are transmitted to humans through animals, and the food and water we consume. Some historical infectious diseases you may recognize include the plague, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Malaria is contracted by 350 to 500 million people in the world every year and 1 million people, mostly children under the age of 5 die due to it. Malaria is caused by a parasite that spends one stage of its life inside a mosquito and the second stage of its life inside a human. The infection causes recurrent flu like symptoms, and often death for children and poor people with little access to health care.
Originally Malaria was being fought by widespread spraying of insecticides to exterminate the mosquitos. Many insecticides contain a harmful chemical called neurotoxins. Neurotoxins severely disrupt the nervous systems of animals. Insects and other invertebrates are highly sensitive to neurotoxin insecticides. These animals can become completely paralyzed, cannot obtain oxygen, and quickly die. painful death.
Other important neurotoxins that are being released into the environment in an effort to eradicate mosquitoes include lead and mercury. Lead and mercury are harmful metals. They damage a person's kidneys, brain, and nervous system. Mercury remains a major problem, and so is lead in children.
In the United States, malaria was successfully eradicated in 1951 through the countries spraying of the insecticide DDT. This spraying program became controversial in the 1960s and 1970s because DDT became global, and was harming species such as large birds. DDT is still sprayed in parts of the world to assist in exterminating malaria, but malaria has not been eradicated.
Do you think that the spraying of insecticides is warranted, given both of its effects; being that it is capable of controlling the disease and corrupting the environment?
In your opinion, which matters more?
What's the best approach to eradicate malaria?