Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part A (2019)

Author(s): Aparajita Patra, ASM Raja and Narendra Shah

Abstract: The mosquito vector spread a variety of diseases. It is responsible for several million deaths and hundreds of millions of cases every year and has an adverse effect on public health. There are different types of mosquitoes which bite at different times of the day and spread different viruses. The paper highlights the causes of malaria and their prevention methods in detail. Malaria is a major health problem for children and pregnant women. It has been highlighted as a major cause of death for children below age of five years. More than two-thirds of all malaria deaths occurs in children below age of five years. In India, malaria has been a problem for centuries. India has the highest number of morbidity and mortality rates of malaria after Africa. A number of protective and preventive methods/techniques are adopted against this vector. A common method of preventing mosquito bite(s) is the use of repellents of synthetic and natural origin. The merits and demerits of synthetic and the natural mosquito repellents have been critically assessed. Malaria is preventable and not supposed to be a deadly disease if treatment is available, which is not the case for many of the underdeveloped areas. These regions bear a disproportionate burden of the disease, mainly due to non-adoption of prevention measures. Microencapsulation is one of the techniques to extend the longevity of the repellents used for prevention of mosquito bites. The review briefly assess the various aspects of microencapsulation technique in the mosquito-repellent fabric domain. There is a need for increased research and development of (natural and synthetic) mosquito-repellents.