Surmounting the Environmental Impact Of Insecticides; Adopting A Sustainable Approach In The Fight Against Malaria- A Review

Abstract

As a notorious parasitic disease known to have continuously ravaged the human populations for centuries, malaria remains a major public health concern notably in developing countries. However, several approaches have been employed in a bid to annihilate the disease with many of such turning out to be unsustainable; causing more damage to the environment as well as the life forms in it. The use of synthetic pesticides initially portrayed an outstanding impact in curbing the anopheline vector, but was not long before their harmful effects began to manifest on nontarget organisms including humans. The current work laid emphasis on dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and pyrethroid. DDT usage was linked to several diseases ranging from neurological to reproductive as well as causing cancer. On the other hand, pyrethroids were initially considered to have no adverse effects, have now been observed to induce allergies, asthma and aggressive behaviors in children while impairing verbal abilities and intelligence. In order to curtail malaria disease and prevent the deleterious effects of synthetic pesticides, there is a need to prioritize the use of biopesticides; a better alternative, which is equally, or more effective and most importantly, eco-friendly with little or no harm to non-target organisms.