Malaria used to be endemic in the USA as far north as New York. The USA "did DDT" specifically to eliminate malaria [1]. And it worked, the stuff is so nasty and persistent it completely wiped out the disease reservoir in the mosquito population. Was it worth the price? I'm an Audubon supporter and bird watcher, but I value human lives more highly.

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/history/elimination_us.htm...