Killing Aedes at its larval stage
A collaboration between Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti), Entogenex Industries Pte Ltd and Inno Biologics Pte Ltd has resulted in an innovative method to fight Aedes mosquitoes.
The method is to eliminate the mosquitoes in their larval stage using a non-toxic bio-larvicide called Mousticide.
The product name is a combination of two French words — “moustique” which means mosquito and “cide” meaning kill.
The bio-larvicide will be sprinkled into an Aedes Larvae Ovi Trap (ALOT), a modified ovitrap, filled with water to attract mosquitoes to lay eggs in it. Ovitrap is a common household equipment currently used for trapping mosquitoes.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Health Department director Dr Zainol Ariffin Pawanchee designed a filter for the ovitrap to create the ALOT.
Entogenex Industries executive director Tunku Naquiyuddin Tuanku Ja’afar said the Mousticide was created using the cell of a female mosquito’s digestive system.
“The particular cell will be modified into a peptide that cannot be digested by larvae,” he said.
Mosti will be distributing 100,000 kits to selected households in Johor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Each home kit consists of one unit of ALOT, 30g of Mousticide, 500ml Denguard dengue defence lotion, books and a CD containing information about dengue fever and Aedes mosquitoes.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau said the number of dengue cases was growing rapidly every year.
“We initiated this project as a direct response to the critical need to search for new sustainable approaches to fight the dengue menace,” he added.
Mosti has been organising Dengue-Free Community (KBD) programme since June 2015 to introduce the ALOT and teach the public how to use the equipment.
The programme was conducted among 30 communities in Johor, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur using the R.E.A.P. technique which stands for reduce, educate, activate and prevent.
In December last year, it was reported that dengue fever cases in those communities were reduced by 49%.