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12 economist suntribune science matters thursday jan 20 2000 malaria vaccine will reduce need for ddt by david suzuki correspondent ever since rachael carsons silent spring in 1962 when the world was first warned about the envi ronmental nightmare the widespread use of industrial pesticides such as ddt was creating ddt has become a symbol of ecological destruc tion and human ignorance today ddt is banned in most industrialized nations but it is still manufactured and used in developing nations as a result levels of ddt and its byproducts can be found all over the world including in human breast milk this has led to an interna tional call for the chemical to be banned outright but this has also created a dilemma while nobody likes ddt it is still used because it is a cheap and highly effec tive method of controlling the mosquitoes that spread one of the greatest scourges of the developing world malaria malaria is caused by a parasite that is transmitted by specific species of mos quito every year the disease infects some 500 million peo ple and kills about two mil lion the problem is most acute in africa where almost 90 per cent of deaths occur in this motive power partsperson apprenticeship program do you love cars and trucks or anything on wheels like working with people you may be ideally suited for a stimulating and wellpaid career as a parts specialist q c j hatr spa i new l centennials new apprenticeship program will prepare you for a career in this fastpaced industry theres no question the automotive industry drives todays economy and with millions of parts and accessories to be ordered sold shipped and inventoried opportunities are growing for qualified parts specialists tuitionfree this fulltime program is the first of its kind check put these benefits tuitionfree apprenticeship training courses designed by industry representatives uptodate labs using the latest software and computers income support available for qualified employment insurance candidates classes start soon find out if you have a part to play in this booming industry call 416 2895000 ext 7310 ceotenmalcoi helping you find your way in a changing world r0 box 631 staiion a scarborough on m1k5e9 416 2895000 wwwcencolonca our excitemnt qrtows as we introduce another new arrivai from dountown toronto an eiectric younq siylist whos eye for style is invicjoratlnq and faskfon forward steven vulpi great wfrh mens stvies and womens lonq hair caii to see hlivi todayl student rates available 9054716662 r ladies designer fashion clearance off a huge selection of clothing by famous european and north american designers outlet pricing limited time only qftfltton umonvixe 6 one location 159 main st unionville reg retail prices mon sat 10550 sun 11530 free parking in fact as many as 200 children die every hour from the disease but canadians cannot be complacent in 1997 more than 1000 canadians travel ling abroad contracted the disease resulting in several deaths and the world health organization is warning that global warming could bring malaria back to europe and other areas currently free of the scourge two years ago a toronto woman became the first canadian in modern times to contract malaria from a local mosquito malaria is a brutal killer but at the same time ddt is a highly toxic pollutant that builds up in the food chain threatening animal species and humans especially those living in the far north where ddt accumulates and even though the chemical is used only in small amounts indoors to control mosquitoes its very existence encourages a black market for use in agriculture so how can we balance the need to eliminate ddt with the need to reduce inci dents of malaria its a perplexing problem but steps are now being taken that could help solve the dilemma last year the world health organization started a rollback malaria program the goals of the program are ambitious to reduce new cases of malaria by onehalf by 2010 and then by half again by 2015 it wont be easy malaria is a tremendously complex organism which has hin dered the development of an effective vaccine it has also allowed the par asite to develop resistance to antimalarial drugs such as chloroquine that have helped reduce cases in the past but there are now signs we may finally be on the verge of real progress in fighting the disease an experimental vaccine that attacks malaria at each stage of its life cycle is in development and has proved promising in lab tests on mice and rabbits and australian and canadian scientists have recently discovered some common drugs and herbi cides can kill the parasite geneticists say that the malarial genome should be mapped by 2001 which could yield further clues oh how to fight the disease we can hope this new research will help us out of a difficult situation since using ddt to reduce malaria at the same time poisons the earth and ourselves we must phase out ddt and soon but we cant do that without first giving those at risk from malaria the edu cation information and ade quate tools needed to fight the disease this will require a sustained effort and a politi cal commitment from both the developed and develop ing worlds to discuss this topic with others visit the internet dis cussion forum at wwwdavid- suzukiorg dr david suzuki is a scientist broadcaster author and chairperson of the david suzuki foundation he is familiar to television audiences as host of the longrunning cbc television program the nature of things he is currently a professor at the university of british columbia in vancouver announcement the bridle trail medical centre is pleased to announce the opening of their new office on january 24 2000 we are located at 9249 kennedy rd corner of kennedy 16 for our hours or more information please call 9478244 new patients welcome yiti iji 01 0 111 rnime wi m e a x 1 5 1 1 we can help for more information about asthma call the lung association this message brought to you as a community service of the 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