In a world first, mosquito-repellent paint is being launched in Zambia, in an effort to eliminate malaria by 2021.
Despite considerable progress, malaria kills around 400 000 people in sub-Saharan Africa every year. As mosquitoes become increasingly resistant to malarial drugs, researchers are turning to technology to find new ways of combating the disease, according to Reuters.
Japan’s Kansai Plascon has launched a paint product that disrupts a mosquito’s nervous system, reducing its ability to remain on walls that have been coated with the repellent paint. The Japan International Co-operation Agency is implementing the initiative through a partnership with the paint giant.
‘A study done in the last two years in 400 households with Zambia’s Ministry of Health proved that the paint is very effective and is not harmful to human beings,’ an agency representative told Reuters. Kansai Plascon notes that ‘the knock-down effect lasts for up to two years, offering lasting protection from malaria infection and other mosquito-borne diseases’.
