The 5 Most Ridiculously Over-Hyped Health Scares of All Time

[#98QBKiller]

DDT was Jake the snake Roberts' finishing move....what's so scary about that? :whoknows:

[The Sisko]

3 Mile Island should be hailed as one of the greatest successes in our history.

Everything worked EXACTLY as it was supposed to preventing the disaster. It should be used as an example of why nuke power IS safe, not as an example of why it's not.

And dont worry about DDT. We'll just give Africans lots of nets instead.

For once you're absolutely right Kilmer.

Actually, the avian flu continues to be a major public health concern. What makes this influenze strain scary is that it is similar to the influenza strain that caused the major pandemic in 1918 that killed over 50 million people. Unlike many strains of influenza where the vulnerable population is made up of those with weak immune response (children and elderly), the vulnerable population with avian flu (and the Spanish flu of 1918) are those with healthy immune function (people our age).

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/

As for DDT - that was a great rebuttal. Many of us in global health are not happy that rabid environmentalists led the way to DDT being banned in many countries, particularly malaria endemic countries.

Let's see, lets ban the use of DDT because it might possibly lead to cancer...but in the meantime MILLIONS of people in southern Africa die every year from malaria. Unbelievable.

The banning of DDT resulting in massive increases in malaria deaths in the developing world is a prime example of why policy should rarely if ever be driven by sensationalism and public opinion. All the public sees is the fear of the moment while the possible unintended consequences or negative side effects are usually disregarded.

My example of this would have to be the swine flu scare. To be fair, the folks in charge of this were presented with a lose-lose choice. However, science and cooler heads should have prevailed over hysteria. Not a particularly proud moment for public health. :doh:

[SkinsOrlando]

I do understand the banning of DDT on American soil, it led to terrible reproductive issues for our national bird, however banning it in area's caked in malaria cases is about as good an idea as giving a burn victim a hot shower.

[JMS]

I do understand the banning of DDT on American soil, it led to terrible reproductive issues for our national bird, however banning it in area's caked in malaria cases is about as good an idea as giving a burn victim a hot shower.

DDT was only banned globally by the stockholme convention for agricultural use. It is still used today to fight deseases like malaria.

DDT was subsequently banned for agricultural use worldwide under the Stockholm Convention, but its limited use in disease vector control continues to this day in certain parts of the world and remains controversial.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT

[JMS]

The banning of DDT resulting in massive increases in malaria deaths in the developing world is a prime example of why policy should rarely if ever be driven by sensationalism and public opinion.

Did you ever wonder why Srilanka stopped spreying for Milaria in late 1960's? I mean the United States was one of the first to ban DDT in 1972. The world followed the United States and banned DDT for agricultural use in the late 1970's...

I wonder why Srilanka unilaterally stoped spraying in the mid 1960's, when it lead to an increase in malaria cases from 14 ( 1962 ) to 2.5 million in 1969..... Srilanka became a communist country in 1970.. There was a lot going on their other than just malaria.

As for global incidents of Malaria... They didn't grow by by a factor of 2 in the years following the ban of DDT, much less grow by a factor of a million.

[artmonkforHOF]

And yet even today, I still hear American and Canadian politicians, (usually the ones from the regions which have oil) use 3 mile island as a warning about the dangers of nuclear power.

[PeterMP]

Did you ever wonder why Srilanka stopped spreying for Milaria in late 1960's? I mean the United States was one of the first to ban DDT in 1972. The world followed the United States and banned DDT for agricultural use in the late 1970's...

I wonder why Srilanka unilaterally stoped spraying in the mid 1960's, when it lead to an increase in malaria cases from 14 ( 1962 ) to 2.5 million in 1969..... Srilanka became a communist country in 1970.. There was a lot going on their other than just malaria.

As for global incidents of Malaria... They didn't grow by by a factor of 2 in the years following the ban of DDT, much less grow by a factor of a million.

Well certainly not by millions, but DDT can have a significant affect on malaria infections. In many parts of the world, it is hard to get hard numbers, but S. Africa has done a pretty good job of tracking it:

"Then, after household spraying with DDT was implemented, and the new antimalarial combination artemether-lumefantrine (AL) was widely deployed (Figure 1), cases declined by more than 99% over the next three years."

http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0020368

http://www.doh.gov.za/issues/malaria/death71-03.html

[Special K]

I wonder why Srilanka unilaterally stoped spraying in the mid 1960's, when it lead to an increase in malaria cases from 14 ( 1962 ) to 2.5 million in 1969..... Srilanka became a communist country in 1970.. There was a lot going on their other than just malaria.

What's your point? You just stated that when DDT use was banned, malaria rates increased.

While endemic regions of sub-saharan Africa have requested exemptions from the Stockholm convention, DDT is still only being use on a limited basis (with the exception of South Africa).

Well certainly not by millions, but DDT can have a significant affect on malaria infections. In many parts of the world, it is hard to get hard numbers, but S. Africa has done a pretty good job of tracking it:

"Then, after household spraying with DDT was implemented, and the new antimalarial combination artemether-lumefantrine (AL) was widely deployed (Figure 1), cases declined by more than 99% over the next three years"

http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0020368

http://www.doh.gov.za/issues/malaria/death71-03.html

Exactly. WHO recommends using DDT, particularly for indoor residual spraying.

Bottom line: Environmental groups pushing for the eradication of DDT use, particularly in malaria endemic regions, are insane.

[Mr. S]

SARS and Y2k were huge scares, although I guess Y2K wasn't a health scare.

On top of that, the killer bee scare in the early 90s. We were supposed to be taken over by them and were supposed to have changed our ways of living due to them, but I guess they never migrated as projected.

[DjTj]

I blame Jake the Snake Roberts for our irrational fear of DDT.