The modern day environmentalist movement got its start thanks to author Rachel Carson and her book The Silent Spring. While Carson was critical of it she did not call for the pesticide to be outlawed or no longer used. Unfortunately, that is largely what happened. In 1972 the US banned its use and foreign relief agencies, like USAID, would not pay to use DDT in African countries (like Uganda, Mozambique and South Africa) where malaria was rampant. A consequence largely due to the junk science surrounding the demonization of DDT.

Fortunately, as early as 2006 the World Health Organization encouraged African countries who quickly elected to use DDT to fight malaria. In October 2013, The Sidney Morning Herald reported that mortality rates in South Africa were cut by 85 percent thanks to the country using DDT and with a goal of eradicating the disease by 2018.

In this clip from the 2007 documentary Not Evil Just Wrong, Phelim McAleer describes Rachel Carson’s influence and the disaster of nations discouraging the use of DDT to fight Malaria. There are alternatives to DDT, but most of them are very expensive. There is evidence, however, that mosquito populations can build resistance to DDT use, but the fundamental issue is wether or not countries should be able to make the choice to use the pesticide.