DDT, it's a pesticide that's banned in many developed countries, but still used in Mexico and Central America to control malaria vectors. Now, health authorities are trying to find alternatives and this week in Belmopan twenty public health workers and vector control specialists from the Ministry of Health are participating in a four day workshop.
The main purpose of the workshop is for participants to come up with alternatives to malaria control without using the DDT and other similar pesticides. The alternatives have to be affordable, and reasonably environmentally friendly, at least more so than the deleterious DDT. We were unable to find out from authorities how much DDT is used in Belize but though highly effective for vector control, it is considered an environmental pollutant.
As concerns its effects on humans, it has a low level of toxicity in humans and was regarded as 'safe.' However, it is now recognized that DDT has a number of long-term side effects.
