Liz’s blogs

The deadliest little insect, mosquitoes. An insect that can cause death in all of us. Starting off with the biggest health issue in Africa, Malaria. A disease that can be transmitted by mosquitoes. In the video it is talked about the situation that is happening in Africa, caused by this. Sadly at that time, they were no type of help to these people, since they weren’t that technologically advanced. But when they found something that could have helped them. Rachel Carson stepped in protection of the community. 

  The American Environmental Movement started to pick up speed because of the book “Silent Spring” published by Rachel Carson. In which stated the damage that DDT could cause in the environment and people. Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane, also known as DDT is an insecticide which had all the power to kill mosquitoes who transmitted malaria during World War II. Even though it was actually helping, it was also damaging the lives of those people, since it had some harmful toxins. Those toxins were being released to the lakes, animals, and in general, to the environment. Also being released to the humans, they were drinking it, eating it, smelling it, in general DDT were part of their lives, consuming their lives. In which Rachel Carson mentioned and alerted, and she was called even a Mass Murderer by John Stossel in “Stossel’s Take” and even had Time Magazine calling the book “An emotional and inaccurate outburst.” Nobody listened very well to the opinion and help that she brought. After all of that people actually noticed it, and later eliminated the DDT, it actually got worse and became a nightmare, since now the mosquitoes actually have become immune to the insecticides including DDT. In which they have been adapting very well and fast, through the immunity to the insecticides that “kills” them. And even some of them can recognize the silhouette of doors and easily go to people. So now it has been more difficult and harder to find a way to eliminate them.  Leaving the thought of this statement: “Man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably, a war against himself.” We are part of nature, because we are nature too, but everyone has something, like a war with nature and we are actually having a battle with ourselves, because if someday nature just disappears, we are not going to survive. 

This video has been very interesting and has a lot of information that I actually didn’t know. Actually letting me know that humans had not changed in the way that they can be “annoying” because even though they heard the warning of the insecticides, they continued and caused more damage to people than helping. Something that actually continues happening because humans don’t want to listen and get help from other people. But what can we do about it? It is up to us to change this and help our people get better. Having more places do research and investigations on how to calm down the mosquitoes and keep eliminating them. Because we know that is something that we have to keep living and deal with.    

https://sistematv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/amex29rc-sci-silentspringlessons/lessons-from-silent-spring-for-controlling-disease-rachel-carson-american-experience/?student=true