Take a position on whether DDT’s benefit as a malaria control method outweighs the risk of toxicity, and make a recommendation for action

  • Significance of Malaria: Discuss the significance of malaria as a public health issue. Include information on the etiology of malaria. Support significance with epidemiological information such as incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, and societal cost to support your discussion. Be sure to use the most direct, scholarly sources. You should have at least one research article on malaria to support your discussion.
  • Impact of DDT: Discuss the mechanism of action of DDT. Include in your discussion how DDT controls malaria, alternatives to DDT, and a synopsis of key research that has been done to ascertain the toxicity of DDT to humans. To support your conclusions as to the toxicity of DDT, you should discuss at least three research articles which have been conducted to determine the health effects of exposure to DDT, and only one of these may be an animal study. Research must be read and cited directly, not through secondary sources. You may also include a brief discussion on the findings regarding toxicity to wildlife, but the main focus should be on human health effects.
  • Position Statement: Take a position on whether DDT’s benefit as a malaria control method outweighs the risk of toxicity, and make a recommendation for action. For this paper, you will not be allowed to take a middle ground; you need to choose one position and support it. Provide a supported, clear conclusion that follows and reiterates the key evidence on the impact of malaria and the toxicity of DDT from your discussion.

Possible References for Application (you will need to locate additional references)