There are a lot of initiatives going on at the moment to prevent malaria, and a lot of argument for and against various methods. Here is one idea that was mooted a couple of years ago. I wonder if it ever took off?
A ‘Flower’ That Delivers Disease-Killing Treatments to Mosquitoes
A Successful Malaria Reduction Initiative in Eritrea Tanzania : National Malaria Control Programme Uganda, Malaria, Artemisinin and Politics Global Malaria Report 2008 Gambia : Radio initiative against malariaIn development: an artificial flower that kills pathogens in disease-carrying mosquitoes but spares the bugs
By Larry GreenemeierDON’T KILL THE MESSENGER:The PROVECTOR is designed to use visual, olfactory and chemical signals to entice mosquitoes to ingest antimalarial and antiviral treatments that inhibit the development of pathogens.
Although company is still considering what type of flower the PROVECTOR will resemble, the product is designed to use visual, olfactory and chemical signals to entice mosquitoes to ingest antimalarial and antiviral treatments that inhibit the development of the pathogens. This is a vastly different approach to current methods of fighting insect-borne diseases that involve treating populations with expensive preventive medications (which can have serious side effects and may not work), the wholesale killing of the insects using toxic pesticides and / or treating the infected bite victims.
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