DDT in the general health program.

IT is both coincidence and good fortune that an insecticide as promising as DDT is available to the public at a time when insect-borne diseases are again becoming of much greater importance. The war just concluded has again vividly demonstrated that danger lurks where the paths of man and insect cross. While the etiology and indicated control of many insect-borne diseases have been known for a long time, their successful control through the natural evolution of the required techniques, equipment, and materials has been a slow process. As with many other developments essential to human welfare, stimulation born of destruction was necessary to forge earlier the link between knowledge and its application. DDT is more than just another insecticide; it is a tool which properly utilized makes possible new and significant accomplishments. Remarkable is the fact that it may be used with relative safety in a variety of forms, against a wide range of insects, with long lasting residual effect. This potent chemical, coupled with good sanitary practices, is capable of creating levels of freedom from insects much higher than those previously known. It presents a challenge and a responsibility therefore to health agencies. What, then, is the role of health departments in programs involving the use of DDT? As a prerequisite they must be informed regarding, the appro-