Nonmalarial infant deaths and DDT use for malaria control

Abstract

Although dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) is being banned worldwide, countries in sub-Saharan Africa have sought exemptions for malaria control. Few studies show illness in children from the use of DDT, and the possibility of risks to them from DDT use has been minimized. However, plausible if inconclusive studies associate DDT with more preterm births and shorter duration of lactation, which raise the possibility that DDT does indeed have such toxicity. Assuming that these associations are causal, we estimated the increase in infant deaths that might result from DDT spraying. The estimated increases are of the same order of magnitude as the decreases from effective malaria control. Unintended consequences of DDT use need to be part of the discussion of modern vector control policy.

Figure 1

Levels of dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene (DDE, the most stable and persistent form of DDT), in breast milk and duration of lactation.

Figure 2

Protection of breast-feeding against infant death caused by infectious disease (not breast-feeding versus breast-feeding). CI, confidence intervals; OR, odds ratio. Source: World Health Organization study team.