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After
U.S.
malaria eradication, the focus of the CDC shifted towards surveillance, and in
1952, the CDC was no longer a member of the National Malaria Eradication
Program. The CDC’s role has remained one
of surveillance in the U.S.
and of assistance in underdeveloped areas of the world. In 1962 with the publication of Silent Spring, Rachel Carson’s book
denouncing the use of DDT and outlining its impacts on ecosystems, DDT came
under a cloud of criticism. While this
chemical had been instrumental in combating malaria a decade earlier, it was
soon to be banned. While DDT helped to
kill off the vector responsible for malaria transmission, it also had more
long-lasting impacts. Measures such as
drainage and removal of mosquito breeding sites, and likely even insecticide
spraying within homes, where the likelihood of the pesticide entering the
environment is very low, had few long term side effects. Through our own eradication of malaria, we
discovered some mechanisms that worked, and others that proved less
effective. If we will learn from our
past and help others in need now is something that we will see today and in the
future.
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[1] http://www.cdc.gov/Malaria/facts.htm accessed on 5/1/06
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