September 2009
Case Study: Program to Eradicate Malaria in Sardinia, 1946-1950
Between 1946 and 1950, a bold experiment was conducted by the Rockefeller Foundation to study the effects of DDT spray on malaria-carrying mosquitoes in the absence of other control measures, and to exterminate the mosquito from the island. The effort spent millions of dollars and enormous amounts of DDT were spread over Sardinia in an attempt to free the island from malaria. Although complete eradication of the malaria vector was not achieved due to various political, ecological, and logistical difficulties, the large-scale attempt did eventually eliminate malaria from Sardinia after decades of surveillance and continued mosquito control efforts. Sixty years after the DDT campaign, the debate between the risks and the benefits concerning DDT use for malaria control continues. The Sardinia case study demonstrates that malaria elimination using a single intervention is not sufficient alone to accomplish the task. Implementing a complementary set of interventions based on local environmental and epidemiological conditions will have a greater impact on malaria transmission and elimination of the disease.
