[70s-80s overlander]

Warning: I do NOT have the hard data at hand to confirm or disconfirm the following statement by a senior British physician. Nonetheless, I believe it is worth pondering the possibility that it might indeed be true -- and acting accordingly.

"Huge amounts (equivalent to 1% of the world GDP) have been committed to fight global warming when a fraction of the amount would wipe out malaria from the planet and as a consequence raise world GDP by 3%."

[ http://mutated-unmuated.blogspot.com/   -- in the middle of his blog entry for Friday, November 17, 2006; Dr. Terry Hamblin has been Professor of Immunohaematology at Southampton for the last 20 years; his connection to malaria is that the disease frequently has effects on the spleen, which organ about which he has considerable research knowledge (10 articles at PubMed.gov) because of his being an expert on leukemia]

On another forum entry there was some speculation about whether travelers to India, perhaps through a foundation, would be able to make a dent on solving India's toilet problem [as I recall, ecologically sound toilets were priced at $35 USD each, or some such figure. Just found the reference: http://www.csmonitor...06s01-wosc.html -- The toilet referred to is "a simple canvas and wood shed around a simple Asian squat-type toilet that empties into a composting pit."]              

I wonder whether travelers to India, again perhaps through a foundation, would be able to make a dent on solving India's malaria problem.

[70s-80s overlander]

Well, I guess I spoke too quickly. Having scanned now a number of papers on the web, it appears that while one-time eradication of malaria was almost achieved and on a one-time basis it can be achieved again. The problem, however, appears to be the methods used for growing rice and cotton in India and elsewhere, which allow for a renewable recurrence of the malarial epidemics. Thus the traveler angle would have to be related to some foundation that would help to expand improved agricultural methods. The US grows and exports both rice and cotton, but it was not clear to me how the US manages NOT to have malaria outbreaks while Asian and African nations do -- especially since the use of DDT is outlawed in the US. [Yes, I know that the US has pledged 1.2 BILLION $USD across the next 5 years for the distribution of insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets in Asia and Africa, but I am still curious about the agricultural connection.]

Does anyone have any insight on this -- what contribution, if any, travelers might be able to make on reducing or solving India's malaria problem?

[iwanttogoback]

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The US grows and exports both rice and cotton, but it was not clear to me how the US manages NOT to have malaria outbreaks while Asian and African nations do

is it a climate issue? ie mosquitoes are more likely to be found in humid climates?

[iwanttogoback]

Quote

it appears that while one-time eradication of malaria was almost achieved

70's, i'm interested to know how malaria was almost eradicated, can you tell me?

[70s-80s overlander]

iwanttogoback, on Nov 18 2006, 09:04 PM, said:

70's, i'm interested to know how malaria was almost eradicated, can you tell me?

Apparently (a) spraying the inside walls of dwellings, generally with DDT, and ( distribution of Permethrin impregnated mosquito nets were both very effective measures for eradicating malaria in large areas of Asia and Africa. When malaria then crept back in during the late 1970s they had to rethink the issue and figured out that agricultural water use was a problem. Right now, as I understand it, a lot of money is being put into (a) developing a vaccine against malaria and ( mass-producing in gargantuan quantities a neem-based (considered safer) insecticide.

In terms of taking care of myself, as a traveler, I am somewhat intrigued by the Israeli trick of mixing sweeteners with insecticide, then spraying bushes near the residence (or hotel); this apparently very effectively attracts then kills all the mosquitos in the vicinity -- at least for that day or so.

[Here in the US, night-time spraying of a fine mist of oil on ponds, marshes, etc, is the main approach, focusing on killing mosquito larvae.]

Let me repeat that I am NOT an expert on this. I was just intrigued by that British medical professor's notion that putting targeted energy and money into the malaria project could be just as important or more important than continuing to put the much larger amounts of energy and money into the global warming issue.

Perhaps, for example, if one district of India were to be declared "malaria free" -- because of a change in agricultural irrigation practices, along with the other needed actions -- that district might become able to attract more travelers AND Indian residents. Perhaps a council of hotels in a district could be teamed up with a council of farmers in that district toward making this happen.

[H.Nick]

The key to malaria control is the control of the mosquito larva.

Spraying with DDT or any other insecticide kills a few of one generation of adult insects. It is like melting the tip of an iceberg.

I have been in resorts where insecticides are sprayed almost every day --- and still been bitten.

Preventing the mosquito breeding can be done by eradicting or treating the water in which it breeds. This can be as large an area as the stagnant puddle of the Buckingham Canal passing through Chennai or as small as a rain-water-full broken coconut shell in a garden.

The Malaria mossie prefers stagnant water, the Dengue/Chickungunya beast prefers fresh. Uncovered water tanks are a great breading ground for this creature.

There is a great deal that we residents can do to ensure that we do not make these facilities available to the insects. How much a visitor can do? Perhaps not very much.

If you catch one of these diseases (and there must be malarial tourists, I guess...) --- sure, it would be better for others if you sleep under a net and use repellent.

The solution is in the hands of the politicians. You could try complaining to the tourist ministry!

[H.Nick]

The running water is not such a risk.

It is when it stops running that the mossies like it.

Apparently malaria was almost wiped out in Mubai at one time, but no-one realised ---err, the politicians didn't realise they had to go on with the preventative work.

[cyberhippie]

Old wives tale..............perhaps but cow dung patios are said to keep the mossies away!!

[70s-80s overlander]

cyberhippie, on Nov 19 2006, 09:42 AM, said:

Old wives tale..............perhaps but cow dung patios are said to keep the mossies away!!

CONCLUSION first; "DATA" follows below:
I guess travelers should try to patronize establishments that boast that their artistic cow dung patios (preferably surrounding the building) are re-newed each and every day. (They should give special patronage to those places that also, daily, spray a fine mist of oil on any areas of standing water.)

You've got to love the world wide web:

http://www.uni-koeln...m/preamble.html
KOLAM: A MIRROR OF TAMIL CULTURE
... Early at sunrise, women and girls clean the ground in front of their houses with water and cow dung in order to draw a kolam there. They first outline an intricate geometrical pattern with individual dots, and then draw lines around these dots. Ideally, a kolam consists of one single uninterrupted line. ...
cow dung dissolved in water is regarded as a purifying substance that also keeps off insects (mosquitoes, etc.). In the villages, people clean the ground in front of the entrance to their mud cottages as well as the floor inside with this mixture.

http://www.hindustan...15,00160139.htm
Fighting mosquitoes the herbal way
Rahul Karmakar
Guwahati, November 8, 2006

... Two schoolgirls in a remote Assam town have come up with a herbal concoction that is reportedly more effective in driving away mosquitoes than all those coils, mats and liquidisers put together. ... They tried mixing and matching an assortment of leaves and natural substances for a couple of months till they hit on the perfect combination. Apart from tulsi and cow dung powder that went into the potion, the sisters have kept the other ingredients a secret. ...  the gooey mixture is sun-dried in the shape of chalk sticks. When lighted, it emits a pungent smoke that keeps mosquitoes at bay. The sisters’ formula was exhibited last month at an inter-school function. Locals who tried the anti-mosquito sticks claimed it was effective and less nauseating than chemical repellants. With news of the discovery spreading in a state troubled by malaria and encephalitis, educational institutes are inviting the sisters to showcase their mosquito repellant. They are keen on patenting their discovery but only after more feedback about its effectiveness.

*******
http://www.niscair.r...july05.asp#p270
Development of cow dung based herbal mosquito repellent
S A Mandavgane*, V V Pattalwar and A R Kalambe

The chemical based mosquito repellents available in the market contain some harmful and poisonous chemicals, which are likely to cause threat to human health. An attempt has been made to prepare a 100% herbal product, based on traditional practices and rural wisdom. It is effective and cheaper than presently chemical based mosquito repellent. Since it is totally herbal, it has no side effects on inhalation or even on digestion. This paper deals with selection and optimization of ingredients, their characteristics, medicinal properties and studies conducted about the comparison with the existing mosquito repellent. The cow dung is considered very sacred in Indian philosophy, it says that Gomay Vaste Laxmi i.e. Goddess of Wealth resides in cow dung. The efforts are made to study the traditional beliefs from scientific approach. The main aim of this product development is to provide employment to the rural youth and economic gains to farmers.
Keywords: Cow dung, Pallethrin, Neem, Tulsi.