Volcanic Glass Could Potentially Control Mosquito Population

From Nature World News
June 10, 2020

The findings of a new study show that a residual spray that contains a combination of perlite, a type of volcanic glass, and water is effective against malaria-carrying mosquitoes. The study results can help reduce the populations of these mosquitoes in Africa and thereby reduce the risk of malaria.

According to the study, malaria is a fatal mosquito-borne disease and a primary cause of death of sub-Saharan Africans. This disease is also competing against TB and AIDS as the world’s deadliest infectious disease.

Malaria deaths in Africa have significantly gone down from an annual rate of 1.8 million deaths to an estimated of only half a million in 2020 through a combination of bed nets and indoor spraying. However, malaria-carrying mosquitoes are showing widespread resistance to pyrethroids and increasing resistance to recommended insecticides by the World Health Organization.

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