The Fight to End a Plague

The article on new efforts to eradicate malaria, "Battling a Scourge," does not mention the sad fact that the environmentalists pushing the ban of DDT have caused the death of millions [June 28]. After 1972, when the U.S. banned the use of this pesticide, a move that was followed by the rest of the world, the number of malaria deaths grew quickly. It would be desirable for scientists to once again study the advantages of DDT to help eradicate malaria once and for all.
Sebastian Schmid, BIEL-BENKEN, SWITZERLAND

As someone who works for an aid organization, I read "Battling a Scourge" with interest. It is encouraging to see businesses taking on social responsibility as a core ethos, but the approach suggested is not new. Aid offered at a governmental level or through large corporate ventures has been dogged by corruption, waste, poor accountability and in many instances creating more problems than it solves. Many in the private NGO community have forged a different path, creating strong models of development where giving is not about simply throwing money at a problem through aid, but encouraging and equipping the communities to identify their own issues and solutions. This is development aid is now something only offered in emergency situations. Governments and large corporations would do well to turn to the expertise of the NGO community if they seek development that produces lasting change rather than watching millions or even billions of dollars evaporate.
Frank Ritchie, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

While international donors have invested millions of dollars to fight malaria, they have yet to establish and support a health system that can maintain and sustain such investments. To give an example, I work in a village dispensary and there is nothing available to diagnose malaria. There is also evidence of over-reporting: any patients presenting themselves with fever and chills may be entered as having malaria and given malaria treatment.
Amyn Lakhani, MOMBASA, KENYA

We have mosquitoes and malaria with us in Nigeria but we have no "Sultan of Nigeria," as depicted in "Battling a Scourge." Nigeria is not a sultanate. Perhaps you meant to refer to the Sultan of Sokoto in northern Nigeria.
Ama Gabriel, LAGOS, NIGERIA

America's Struggling States
"The Other Financial Crisis," about the near bankruptcy of many states, should have acknowledged that population growth does not pay for itself [June 28]. California, Arizona, Florida and other high-population-growth states are in trouble, while North Dakota has had relatively little population growth over the years and consequently very few of its associated problems.
Albert A. Bartlett, BOULDER, COLO., U.S.

I won't argue with your assertion that having a public-service job when your neighbor loses his in the private sector puts you in "separate economies." As a retired public servant, however, I've seen the other side. When the economy is booming and your neighbor gets double-digit pay raises plus bonuses while you receive a single-digit or no pay raise, that also puts you in separate economies. Many in public service choose the lower pay in exchange for more job security. When I graduated from law school, I was the only one in my class who chose public service. I didn't get rich, but I'm not complaining.
Dale Cayot, CINCINNATI

Winning Hearts and Minds
In "Obama's Afghan Dilemma," Joe Klein writes that "a more punishing counterterrorism effort, rather than patient counterinsurgency, may be the best way to get the Taliban to the table" [June 28]. A strategy that relies primarily on military action to address an insurgency has already been tried. From where I am in the Philippines, the shoot-first approach to address local insurgencies has been met with decades of protracted warfare and little else. It is highly probable that U.S. troops will experience similar results should the American government decide to shift its Afghan strategy to a more militaristic one. If there is any failure in the U.S. strategy to rein in the Taliban, the solution may really be even more patience in winning the trust and confidence of the Afghans.
Arnie Domingo, QUEZON CITY, THE PHILIPPINES

Frankenfood: It's Alive!
The article "How Frankenfood Prevailed" about Monsanto claims "traditional-seed fields and biotech crops have been shown to coexist peacefully" [June 28]. This is not true. In South America, Roundup Ready affects the traditional crops of farmers using normal seeds, because their fields are close to the fields with genetically modified soybeans. In a study, the National Institute of Ecology in Mexico found contaminated GM corn in different regions of the country even though GM corn was forbidden.
Iris Volg, GROSS-BIEBERAU, GERMANY