National Geographic Acknowledges Huge Loss of Life to Malaria and Need for DDT

LifeSiteNews ^ | 8/7/07 | Steve Jalsevac

[wagglebee]

August 7, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - National Geographic (NG), a leading environmentalist, de-population supporting magazine, has published a major cover story by Michael Finkel on the extraordinarily deadly and complex malaria parasite. The July 2007 NG edition article discusses possible solutions to the disease but also uncharacteristically acknowledges a leading expert's contention that the international ban on DDT was a terrible mistake which may have cost many millions of lives, especially in poor African nations. Environmental ideologues have been quick to slam Finkel's article as being flawed and damaging to the their past success in convincing the world to ban the DDT pesticide.

The article, Malaria, Stopping a Global Killer, states, "This year malaria will strike up to a half billion people. At least a million will die, most of them under age five, the vast majority living in Africa. That's more than twice the annual toll a generation ago."

Finkel writes that Robert Gwadz, a malaria specialist at the US National Institutes of Health, says the worldwide ban on DDT that eventually followed the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, which condemned use of the chemical, "may have killed 20 million children." The quote by Gwadz does not include the huge number of adults that have also died since "DDT become nearly impossible to procure" because "the chemical was outlawed by most of the world for agricultural use".

The deaths caused by malaria, however, are only the beginning of the problems caused by the disease. A far greater number of the continent's people are regularly afflicted by malaria, which often causes life-long disabilities and devastating effects on African economies. Gwadz tells NG that "It's possible that due to malaria, almost every child in Africa is in some way neurologically scarred".

NG relates that in the past there were massive numbers of malaria cases in the United States. "A million Union Army casualties in the U.S. Civil War are attributed to malaria." There were also millions of U.S. malaria cases in the 1930s, which led to the launching of an intensive antimalaria program. The Centers for Disease Control was founded in 1946, "specifically to combat malaria". By 1950, reports National Geographic's Finkel, "transmission of malaria was halted in the U.S."

Finkel reports that prosperous nations such as the U.S have been able to eradicate malaria, but "In the meantime, several distinctly unprosperous regions have reached the brink of total malarial collapse." The author presents his own analysis of why this has happened. He does not, however, address the argument presented in past LifeSiteNews articles, that racist western depopulation policies were likely a large factor in the withholding of desperately needed, inexpensive life-saving measures such as DDT from high birthrate African nations.

Internationally prominent author Michael Crichton, who, while having a severe anti-religious bias, nevertheless excels in the area of thoroughly researched fictional novels on scientific issues, presented a more directly condemning view of the Rachel Carson inspired DDT ban in a speech he gave in Sept. 2003. 

In this speech, Environmentalism as a religion, Crichton stated:

"I can tell you that DDT is not a carcinogen and did not cause birds to die and should never have been banned. I can tell you that the people who banned it knew that it wasn't carcinogenic and banned it anyway. I can tell you that the DDT ban has caused the deaths of tens of millions of poor people, mostly children, whose deaths are directly attributable to a callous, technologically advanced western society that promoted the new cause of environmentalism by pushing a fantasy about a pesticide, and thus irrevocably harmed the third world. Banning DDT is one of the most disgraceful episodes in the twentieth century history of America. We knew better, and we did it anyway, and we let people around the world die and didn't give a damn."

The National Geographic magazine website appears to have buried its July malaria cover story. Anyone visiting the site would not be aware that such an important article was published by NG. The article is not listed in the section of latest features at http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/hubs/latest-features.... It can can only be found by doing a search which brings up the appropriate link. 

See the complete National Geographic article at http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0707/feature1/index.h... See previous LifeSiteNews and other reports:  

See previous LifeSiteNews and other reports on the malaria issue: 

Green Hands Dipped In Blood: The DDT Genocide
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/aug/050816a.html

Finally an End to Massive Genocide Caused by Environmental Extremists' DDT Ban http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/sep/06092709.html

Call for DDT Opponents to be Held Accountable for Millions of Preventable Malaria Deaths
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/sep/060927a.html

50-80 Million Deaths Blamed On Environmental Extremists' DDT Ban
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/aug/05081601.html

U.N. TREATY RESTRICTIONS CRIPPLE FIGHT AGAINST MALARIA
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2001/jun/01061301.html

Tierney Takes on Rachel Carson and 'Silent Spring' DDT Ban
http://newsbusters.org/node/13269

Give Us DDT
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB118160970924631993-lMy...;

[FreePaul]

...a campaign by the DDT patent holders...

Can you tell us what patents cover DDT? Since the original patent was issued nearly seventy years ago I doubt that the "patent holders" have anything to gain by well thought out articles about the product.

[Shermy]

“Ditch the tin foil hat, it’s making your brain overheat.”

Gosh, it’s really tin foil of me to assume those who might profit from something might fund studies and public relations campaign for that thing!

Oh, but I’m wrong. I should have said “pesticide companies” because the patent (Monsanto’s?) lapsed in 2004. Actually that’s helpful information, thanks. It’s probably non-American companies pushing for DDT, less likely to be sued sucessfully for deformities. Interestingly in 2005 WHO allowed DDT for indoor use, though they could’t be bribed enough money to say it was cheaper than the 10 or 11 other chemicals just as effective or even more than DDT.

[Southack]

The point is that the expiration of the DDT patent invalidates your argument.

For that matter, you didn’t even know enough about the subject to know that the patent for DDT *had* expired.

Talk less. Listen more.

[Shermy]

“The point is that the expiration of the DDT patent invalidates your argument.”

Only so far as I said “patent holder” rather than “manufacturer. This minor defect has been jumped upon, I sense people suspect they’ve been duped into the DDT campaign.

“Talk less. Listen more.”

Yawn. Was there thread discussing the lapse of the patent? BTW, you ever work in pest control?

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

“But it also killed birds...”

Not true, and it did not make the eggshells thinner.

That was another one of their lies.

[monday]

“As if there are no other pesticides and counter-measures against malaria vectors.”

DDT was the most effective. India and Africa had almost eradicated malaria through the use of DDT right before the ban. Since the ban, malaria has become endemic in both regions once again.

[monday]

“Life Site News is now a part of the DDT industry’s bizarre PR plan to get them money for their poison? “

lol, what DDT industry? No one has made DDT in a long time.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

I will say he was a very nice person other than wanting about 3.5 billion people to die

Anyime some idiot spouts this BS, I suggest that if he is so anxious to kill so many people, he should start with himself, his family, and everyone he knows.

[colorado tanker]

It's about time the left had to answer for their incredible death toll.

They are also doing their darndest to try to stop the "green revolution" from advancing any further. Sometimes I wonder what they have against poor people in the Third World.

[DoughtyOne]

Can’t argue with that. Sounds appropriate to me.

[ValerieTexas]

sleeping sickness has also been spreading out of control in Africa — it is deadly

[TASMANIANRED]

The human toll has been horrific.

The law of unintended consequences nailed them .

There has been tremendous bird loss due to West nile virus carried by mosquitos..

[skinkinthegrass]

.

[Rabble]

"Rachel Carson never claimed to care about children, her only interest was how thick birds eggs were."

I read her book and couldn't disagree more with your statement. Her primary concern was the health of the human population.

Right or wrong she strongly believed that the health of all were at risk due to DDT finding it's way into the food chain.

[bboop]

DDT also protects birds from Bird Flu.

[LexBaird]

Interestingly in 2005 WHO allowed DDT for indoor use, though they could’t be bribed enough money to say it was cheaper than the 10 or 11 other chemicals just as effective or even more than DDT.

10 or 11, you say? Name them. Also, please explain why the chemical companies who make DDT aren't the same ones making those chems.

[wagglebee]

Her primary concern was the health of the human population.

And like Margaret Sanger she thought nothing of the deaths of people who she didn't think had "lives worth living."

[SuziQ]

(Crichton) I can tell you that the DDT ban has caused the deaths of tens of millions of poor people, mostly children, whose deaths are directly attributable to a callous, technologically advanced western society that promoted the new cause of environmentalism by pushing a fantasy about a pesticide, and thus irrevocably harmed the third world.

I believe the environmentalists, who are also ZPG people, were pushing the argument against DDT as a way to reduce the population of Africa, and KEEP it reduced. Sure beats having to force birth control on them which they did, too, but with less success.

[Southack]

There’s no profit when the patent expires and India/China can then make it cheaper than can you.

[RetiredArmy]

Pppfffff. This is small numbers to the left considering the 40-50 million aborted babies. This is small stuff.