Kenyans scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery by identifying a new drug that makes human blood fatal to mosquitoes.
According to a publication published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, scientists from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in collaboration with researchers from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine discovered a safe dose at which the drug Ivermectin could be administered to kill mosquitoes.
"Ivermectin is being considered for mass drug administration for malaria due to its ability to kill mosquitoes feeding on recently treated individuals.
"The drug was well tolerated and reduced mosquito survival for at least 28 days after treatment. Ivermectin 300 μg/kg per day for 3 days provided a good balance between efficacy and tolerability, and this drug shows promise as a potential new tool for malaria elimination," reads part of the report.
[caption caption="Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu"]
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Testing for the drug's efficiency was conducted at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu where adults aged between 18 and 50 years were included in the study.
The team discovered that administering the pills two times and four times higher than the standard dose was still safe to humans but still dangerous to mosquitoes.
The report states: "Adding 3 days of ivermectin 300 μg/kg per day or 600 μg/kg per day to a standard 3-day treatment course of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine was well tolerated and associated with a large effect on A gambiae sensu stricto mortality among laboratory-reared mosquitoes that had fed on blood taken from ivermectin-treated patients,"
The scientists recommended that people living in areas prone to mosquitos need to take the pill monthly because a dose makes the blood poisonous to mosquitoes for 28 days.
"Ivermectin has a different method of action from other insecticides and might be effective against mosquito populations that rest and feed outdoors, which have escaped the killing effects of contact insecticides deployed on long-lasting insecticidal nets and through indoor residual spraying.
"It could also be effective against mosquitoes that are resistant to insecticides used for long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying," the report adds.
[caption caption="a mosquito"]
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