Articles for
February 2005
|
 |
Scientists Clash Over DDT Use -
Evelyn Lirri & Jane Nafula
The arguing over whether or not to use DDT in Uganda continues ... while thousands die from malaria. Anti-DDT campaigners should realise that their unscientific and biased opposition to DDT costs lives and blights the futures of thousands of young Ugandans. |
|
Fact and Comment -
Steve Forbes
Steve Forbes weighs in on DDT and pulls no punches. Great stuff. |
|
Experts Defend DDT Use -
Evelyn Lirri & Asha Ntabadde
At last some sense on DDT use in Uganda. If the government had been allowed to start using DDT a year ago, when they wanted to, thousands of lives would have been saved. Instead the country has had to deal with absurd and unscientific opposition to DDT - from among others the European Union. |
|
In Africa, a Plant's Twofold Promise -
Andrew England
Build a market and people will produce. The irony is that many of the aid agencies now so interested in artemisia, such as USAID, blocked the development of a market for so long. |
|
WHO Warns of Malaria Drug Shortage -
Jason Beaubien
This National Public Radio audio story explores the World Health Organization's assertion that there will be a massive shortfall in a key malaria drug, artemisinin. |
|
EU Warns on DDT -
New Vision
Guy Rijcken, the EU Charge d'Affaires has warned Uganda not to use DDT. His claims that DDT will find its way into the food chain, thereby threatening exports, is false and malicious and will no doubt lead to further death and disease in that country. Why doesn't he just admit that he is using the DDT issue as a trade barrier to protect the cosseted EU farmers? This disgraceful behaviour must stop. |
|
Zimbabwe hunger claims 'US plot' -
BBC
As usual the Zimbabwean government blames someone else for the misery, hunger and ill health it is inflicting on its own people. As more and more people are going hungry, it will become increasingly difficult to prevent deaths from preventable diseases, such as malaria. |
 |
Select Month
|
| |
|
In our grim global village, every other human being is exposed to malaria. This sad figure grows and grows.1 Each year, 1-3 million people die from malaria, mostly aged under 5 years old and in Africa. Annually, 500 million acute malaria episodes occur with a gigantic burden of suffering, disability, and economic and societal misdevelopment.2
In this context, the encouraging results of the proof-of-concept phase IIb tolerance, immunogenicity, and efficacy trial of the vaccine candidate RTS,S/ASO2A, presented by Pedro Alonso and co-workers in today's Lancet, are welcome. This subunit pre-erythrocytic vaccine consists of two polypeptides (RTS and S) from the surface antigen of the Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite, expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and fused to HBsAg (the hepatitis B vaccine is the only licensed subunit vaccine available so far). RTS,S/ASO2A is presented as a composite particulate structure and formulated in a sophisticated adjuvant, ASO2A, consisting of an oil in water emulsion with the immunostimulants monophosphoryl lipid A and saponin-derived QS21. The vaccine induces a strong antibody response and stimulates Th1 cellular immunity.
Read the rest of the comment at The Lancet
|
