DDT

This letter appeared on the website of the New York Times. To the Editor: It is gratifying to learn that Dr. Arata Kochi plans to adhere to sound medical evidence and promote the indoor spraying of DDT in poor regions where malaria remains endemic ("An Iron Fist Joins the Malaria Wars," Scientist at Work, June 27).
This letter appeared in the Washington Times.
Bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1,2-trichloroethane (DDT) has been shown, over the past sixty years, to be one of the few affordable and effective tools against malarial vector mosquitoes, which account for over 300 million cases of disease and more than 1 million deaths every year. However, the Review by Walter Rogan and Aimin Chen (Aug. 27, p. 763), which aims to balance the risks and benefits of DDT, consists mainly of hypothetical concerns while the reality of human suffering gets short shrift.