I am still unemployed in my search for engineering work. So, I am considering how I could find gainful employment exploiting my status as Planet Earth’s leading expert on the null hypothesis that mosquitos do not spread malaria. Direct research on the topic does not seem probable because all malaria funding is from businesses trying to sell cures or preventions. I expect the real cures and prevention are improved nutrition, clean water and improved sanitation. There are already strong health incentives to improve these in developing countries and adding malaria prevention and cure may not strengthen the case much. And the political strength of the medical lobby could harm these programs if they start to see them as a threat to their malaria cash cow.
Let’s consider the major costs of the ‘war on malaria’ – poisoning people and poisoning the environment. Potentially harmful and ineffective vaccines, prophylactics and other medications are the biggest harm, but I can see no gainful employment opportunities in tackling this head on.
Protecting the environment from poisoning is a better option. Killing mosquitos remains a major obsession of malaria researchers, e.g. in today’s Malaria World ‘Early evening outdoor biting by malaria-infected Anopheles arabiensis vectors threatens malaria elimination efforts in Zanzibar’.
Spreading insecticides to kill mosquitos has costs and negligible benefits. Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ ignited the environmental movement in 1962 by highlighting the damage the insecticide DDT was doing to the environment. Unbelievably DDT is still used in malaria control programs in Africa with approval of the so-called World Health Organization.
But even if the insecticide does not create additional collateral damage up the food chain, it’s very purpose of killing insects can have a serious deleterious effect on the ecological balance. Insecticides kill other insects beside mosquitos that may be beneficial. And what most people fail to realise is that mosquitos themselves are pollinating insects. They feed on nectar from flowers, the same as honey bees. Only breeding females require blood meals to get additional protein for their eggs. Male mosquitos never bite.
We hear so often about the threat to pollinators from pesticides. Is this ever considered when anti-mosquito campaigns are launched? Perhaps there are opportunities protecting these essential insects. I will explore further.
I welcome your thoughts.