Uganda: Chinese Health Experts Back DDT

30 November 2006
New Vision (Kampala)
By Josephine Maseruka

Kampala — Uganda and Chinese health experts have advised Ugandans to accept the spraying of DDT to kill mosquitoes.

Prof. Wang Shanqing, a Chinese expert on Wednesday said Ugandans must accept the spraying of DDT given the low rate of insecticide-treated nets (ITN).

Wang, who was the main facilitator of a course on malaria treatment and prevention for health professionals, said since anopheles gambiae mosquitoes that cause malaria hide in houses, insecticide residual spraying (IRS) with DDT was the best option.

"I don't know the ITN coverage in Uganda. How many households can access treated nets? If the ITN coverage is low, DDT residual spraying is a good method in controlling malaria," Wang said.

Dr. Fred Kato of the Uganda Malaria Control Programme said Uganda's mosquito net coverage was only 15% in 2005 but it is hoped that by 2010 it will have risen to 85%.

Wang said DDT spraying in China and Thailand reduced malaria cases to negligible rates

Dr. B. Byarugaba said in Thailand, DDT was stopped in 2002 because malaria cases were only 20,000 a year as compared to 20,000 cases that are recorded every month in Kabale district.

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