DDT 'debate' losing steam When DDT was introduced more than 60
years ago, it initially scored victory after victory in the
fight against malaria — nearly eliminating the deadly disease in
many areas. But these wins were mostly short-lived, as
mosquitoes rapidly developed resistance to the chemical. Today,
its effectiveness is a fraction of what it once was; meanwhile
an arsenal of better and safer anti-malaria interventions has
been developed, including effective chemical-free strategies.
And so, under the auspices of the Stockholm Convention, the
nations of the world have committed to phasing out DDT, while
allowing it to be used in the short-term in those few places
where it's still effective and other methods of malaria control
are unavailable. This is an approach PAN enthusiastically
supports. Unfortunately, DDT use isn't confined to these
situations. It remains the first and only line of defense
against malaria in some parts of the world, even in areas where
resistance to it is high among mosquito popula