In–door residual spray of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) was relaunched in Uganda to cover the whole country starting with northern districts of Apac and Oyam globally deemed the most vulnerable to malaria due to the surrounding tropical fresh water basin of Lake Kyoga. Monitoring the chemical accumulation and its effects on human health was a part of the quality assurance process. Antecubital venous blood samples (5 ml) were collected into heparin vacutainers from clinically examined spray personnel after obtaining informed and signed consent. The samples were delivered in cool boxes to the Department of Pathology, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, for analysis of the chemical metabolite in plasma using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay kits supplied by AbraxisTM, USA. The activity concentrations of the enzymes Alanine amino transferase, Aspartate amino transferase and Gammaglutamyltranspeptidase in plasma were assayed by routine clinical methods on KonelabTM (Finland) Chemistry Analyzer and the results were assessed for serial changes and their significance. The pre-spray values in mean±SD ppb were dichlodiphenylethane 63±19, and the enzymes in mean ± SD u/L were Alanine amino transferase 10.22±4.80; Aspartate amino transferase 19.91±8.93; and Gamma glutamyltranspeptidase 65.58±12.05 whereas the post-spray corresponding values were 77±26 ppb; 7.84±10.01; 23.83±12.71; and 58.37±62.68 u/L respectively. There was mild increase in insecticide metabolite and Aspartate aminotransferase consonant respectively with slow elimination of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and muscular activity in spray operations. Also there was a mild decrease in Alanine amino transferase and Gammaglutamyltransferase enzyme activities indicating amelioration of liver cell damage.associated with reduced malaria liver-cycle now greatly interrupted by dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. It was recommended that the spraying with dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane be continued for controlling malaria while research is undertaken to investigate the ameliorating effect of the insecticide on liver cell damage. Also research on health effects of accumulated metabolite should continue, as scientists rummage for more appropriate methods of malaria control.
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