Early to bed-net: why bed nets won't stop malaria
Uploaded on Apr 23, 2009 / 1186 views / 3588 impressions / 8 comments
Description
WORLDbytes has released this filmed report as a challenge to Western campaigners organising World Malaria Day commemorations. The report criticises campaigners’ fixation with bed nets. As African volunteer Helder Da Costa says: “It’s the...
WORLDbytes has released this filmed report as a challenge to Western campaigners organising World Malaria Day commemorations. The report criticises campaigners’ fixation with bed nets. As African volunteer Helder Da Costa says: “It’s the West’s ban on DDT that has killed people and is killing people. Telling the truth would be a start and boat loads of DDT not bed nets would make a huge impact.” Ben Hoyte explains: “When I was a kid in Barbados I had to go to bed early under a net until they started spraying; now I don’t have to spend half my life in bed and I don’t see why anyone else should have to either. Director Ceri Dingle says: “There is something quite nauseating about a campaign which treats Africa as a continent of little children that should go to bed early under a charity veil, otherwise known as a bed net. It is sadly consistent with Western low horizons, environmental prejudice and patronising, guilt inspired giving. If campaigners were serious about the eradication of malaria, pesticides would be number one on the agenda.”
The WORLDbytes online channel is available at www.worldbytes.org
9 comments
2. ap87
wow i had no idea about any of this. i cant believe such effective cures are being hushed whilst bednets are still being peddled. and people are dying needlessly- thank you for bringing this to my attention! bring on the ddt.
3. JenJen955
The argument is so simple...so why is it being ignored by world leaders?! So frustrating - this message needs to be heard. This video is really compelling and has taught me a lot about malaria and DDT that I didn't know before.
4. andrewmabuza
fantastic work.
5. kaahja
I agree with the idea behind this video: the is no proof that DDT is harmful to humans, and we used DDt to eradicate malaria from europe in the 50ies, so why DC's shouldnt use it? they should use it as it is cheap and it reduces malaria's murders in africa: this means less needless deaths especially among children above 5 years old.
But still I think this video doesnt say the hole truth: tht DDT doesnt kill the infectious agent- malaria's parasite. It actually kills its carrier: mosquitoes, and mosquitoes can resist to ddt. in the early 70ies some entomologists discover that nearly 20 species of mosquitoes capable to transmitt malaria were resistant to DDT. ddt didnt work in sri lanka where malaria was eradicated with another pasticide. mosquitoes resistance to ddt was fueled where DDT was used in agricolture with no restriction, and DDT lost its effectiveness. this is what happened in India.
6. kaahja
to ban ddt isnt a good idea, but maybe to permit its use with no bounds isnt a good idea either, and we should introduce ddt with some regulation. rivers of ddt in africa may not work in killing malaria and if the line of scientists that state that DDT provocates cancer and harms the invironment is right, then we would have no benefits and a false hope raised up on malaria's end for good.
7. Zett
To be honest, I was a bit critical about the DDT matter when first watching the clip about it. I didn't know much about the pesticide, so I questioned the internet... and the first few websites indeed spoke of all the prejudices the clip addressed, describing them as the truth. Later, after some more research, I did come upon the segment's information, but it is very interesting and problematic that it's buried like that.
I wonder what the people who donated money for bed nets would say about this information. Would they understand? Well, they should at least be given the chance. The WHO and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation should tell the donators about and rethink their approaches.
8. Zett
How can bed nets solve anything? They don’t affect the vectors. The wrong means just cost money that could have been used to actually change something, and time that results in even more death. If there really was no other means than bed-nets it would probably be better than nothing - but there is. So why isn't it being used?
I agree that the west should stop treating the African people like children, patronizing them and taking the decisions out of their hands. They can think for themselves! Selfish Gifts of condescension are not the way to go. I don't want to spend my life in bed - who would?
The west is no better than Africa and it should stop acting like it is. The citizens of developing countries should have the same rights as those in the developed ones. The west used DDT? Let the others do that, too. It has proven that it works before! What the bed net organizations do seems pretty hypocritical to me.
1. evie2
Really brilliant video, has really given me a good insight into malaria and now i feel confident to discuss it with other people, i was very impressed by all the research and hearing it all has made me feel angry enouugh to want to do something properly, is there a campaign for dtt i can join? Thanks for this!