‘Insecticide-treated nets can prevent malaria despite mosquito resistance’

A new African study published in Parasites & Vectors has indicated that although resistant mosquitoes are surviving contact with the insecticide, the chemicals affect the malaria parasites inside those mosquitoes. Until now, insecticide-treated mosquito nets have contributed to the prevention of millions of deaths due to malaria. In recent years, there has been growing concern […]

Mosquito-netsA new African study published in Parasites & Vectors has indicated that although resistant mosquitoes are surviving contact with the insecticide, the chemicals affect the malaria parasites inside those mosquitoes.

Until now, insecticide-treated mosquito nets have contributed to the prevention of millions of deaths due to malaria.

In recent years, there has been growing concern that mosquitoes are becoming resistant to the pyrethroid insecticides used on the nets, making them less effective. However, the impact of this resistance on malaria as a public health problem has been harder to demonstrate, for reasons that remain unclear.

One possible reason is suggested by a new study, carried out jointly by Malaria Consortium and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, which have indicated that although resistant mosquitoes are surviving contact with the insecticide, the malaria parasites inside those mosquitoes are affected by the chemicals.

The study, which was funded by United Kingdom (UK) aid and carried out in Uganda focusing on one of the main malaria carrying mosquitoes in Africa, found, that doses of the insecticide deltamethrin that are tolerated by resistant mosquitoes can interfere with development of the malaria parasite in the stomach of the mosquito.

The researchers fed the mosquitoes on malaria-infected blood, exposed some of them to the insecticide, and checked for parasite development a week later. The proportion of infected mosquitoes was significantly lower in the group that had been exposed to the insecticide, and those that were infected developed fewer parasites than the unexposed group.

Also, new research has found that drinking during pregnancy can have a lifelong impact on offspring.

According to a study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, even a small dose of alcohol during pregnancy can increase the risk of alcoholism in the next three generations.

Previous studies have shown that alcohol use and related disorders pose a significant threat to global health. Exposure to moderate amounts of alcohol in utero or during early life puts humans at greater risk for alcohol abuse in adolescence and adulthood.

Factors affecting teen drinking habits are varied and complex. They include the desire to engage in risk-taking and rebellious behavior, as well as the wish to impress and to sustain popularity among peers.

Source:The Guardian Nigeria

Scroll to Top