Not sure why, but pro-DDT sites have been harping about George Clooney’s having contracted malaria, a second time, while performing one of his humanitarian acts in southern Sudan.
George Clooney in Sudan, Time Magazine photo
True, Clooney got malaria. His take?
“This illustrates how with proper medication, the most lethal condition in Africa can be reduced to bad ten days instead of a death sentence.”
Sometimes it may pay to remember that malaria is disease caused by a parasite who must live part of its life cycle in humans, and part of its life in mosquitoes. Killing mosquitoes only works until the next susceptible mosquito comes along to bite an infected human.
The goal of malaria prevention and eradication campaigns generally is to cure the humans, so regardless how many mosquitoes may be in a given location and regardless how many people they may bite, there is no malaria pool for the mosquitoes to draw from, to spread to other humans.
To beat malaria, we need to prevent the spread of the disease. At some point that requires providing quick and accurate diagnoses of which parasites cause the infection, and a complete and completed regimen of therapeutic pharmaceuticals to actuall cure the human victims. DDT is mostly a bystander in that crucial part of the fight.
What was Clooney doing in Sudan? According to the New York Daily News:
Clooney was in Sudan in December to work with Google and the UN on a human rights project that combines satellite imagery analysis and field reports to prevent a new war from occurring in the troubled country.
“We want to let potential perpetrators of genocide and other war crimes know that we’re watching, the world is watching,” he said in a statement at the time. “War criminals thrive in the dark. It’s a lot harder to commit mass atrocities in the glare of the media spotlight.”
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Karl Jobst
George Clooneys malaria? DDT didnt cure it | Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub
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This does not help me at all. I need to know how you can cure yourself when you are exposed to DDT. Please help this is an emergency.
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[…] George Clooney’s malaria? DDT didn’t cure it, January 25, 2011 […]
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i need to know what meds cured george clooney’s lymes disease. I presently know of someone who is very ill with this disease. please help.
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Was Clooney taking one of the two usual malaria preventative meds prior to his trip? If not, why not, especially given his prior experience? If so, why did he get malaria and what meds cured it? I don’t want to repeat any mistake he made on planned trips to Africa. Aside from vivid dreams, I fared well with anti-malarials on trips to malarial areas of the world.
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