Chevy &as%, Maryland 20015
September 26, 1968

J

Dr. Paul0 C. A. Antums
Rua Itipoli6 990
Go Paula, S.P., ZP-4
Braail

Dear Paulot

   Dr. aSwaldo da Silva was here last week and brought some of the
newa regarding mnallpox eradication in Brazil. I have also heard from
him, or from Dr. Muss, that a boat arrived from Pox-to Velho at Hanaoa
wige;ed;s;zti breeding on board.
This would suggest that the Amazon
       ng reinfested, or that it has already been reinfested.

   The Amazon river boat problem is a difficult one which was solved
thirty years ago by the requirement that all ships be provided with a
system of tubes leading from the upper deck to the bilge water through
which insecticide could be poured without interfering with the cargo.
It seems almoat certain that this measure ha6 been abandoned long ago.

   I am alao told that the special yellow fever agreement No. 21,434,
of May 23, 1932, which proved 6o useful in furthering the eradication of
aegypti from Brazil, has been abolished.  It Beems that the present pro-
gram for the eradication of aegypti from the reinfested areas in Brazil
is working under difficulties.

          ti program in the United State6 has been drasti-
tally cze
        th the budget being cut back from Sl6,OOO,OOO to
about S6,000,000.  This cut will, of course, lead to the dismantling of
the present service, with the cancellation of all, or most, of the atate
contracta. with the demand of Congress for large cut6 in the over-all
national budget, it was inevitable that the aegypti program would suffer.
I have been led to believe that the report of your Ccmunission did not
influence the amount of the cut.

   We have recently received considerable documentation on the ovitrap.
The claim is made, and with this I cannot but agree, that the ovitrap
examined weekly is a more valuable indicator of the presence and diertribu-
tion of Aedes  ae    #an ia the larval search when conducted only every
           I fiti it difficult to visualize a long drawn-out
eradication program with repeated applicationa of increcticide without a
careful immediate follow-up of missed breeding in the treated areae.

   My attention has come to the March 1968 report of the campaign for
the eradication of Aedea ae   i in the Americas, printed in the September
1968 Boletin of the


2

Dr. Paul0 C. A. Antune!                 September 26, 1968

    I can hardly believe that the last report from the United States
was in March 3966, and that the infonaation given is simply to the effect
that 649 counties were inspected since the beginning of the caqpaign in
19644, 248 of these counties were found to have aegy-pti, 30 counties were
worked, 30 counties were checked, and 30 counties still have aegypti.

    I must admit that the United States performance with
during the past five years is oils of the greatest
ever expert!. encsd .

with kindpersonal regardstoyou and yourentire family, I remain

sincerely yours,

Fred L.Soper