Dengue: some plants can repel the Aedes a Egypti mosquito

With more than three million confirmed cases of dengue, Brazil has recorded the worst outbreak of the disease in history. Therefore any form of fight against the Aedes a Egypti mosquito is welcome. One of these concerns specific plants.

Natural dengue mosquito repellent

According to researchers, some species have chemical compounds that act as a natural repellent for insects that transmit the disease. This happens, for example, with plants such as lemongrass.

However, experts indicate that the duration of this effect is very limited. If the room in a house is very large, for example, the plant will not be able to completely repel mosquitoes. Furthermore, the substances responsible for repelling mosquitoes are found within plant tissues and are not constantly dispersed into the environment.

In the plant the repellent effect is low and the product is not exactly available in the air, there is no aerosol that spreads the substance into the environment. Furthermore, there are other compounds in the plant itself that can hinder this action of repelling mosquitoes.

Maria Anice Sallum, professor of the epidemiology department of the USP Faculty of Public Health

Therefore, extracting the oil from these plants, a process that concentrates and enhances the repellent effect, is more effective in keeping mosquitoes away. The use of industrialized repellents is also more recommended, with efficacy approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).

Another point of caution is that inappropriate use of plants can pose a health risk. Rubbing them on the body, for example, does not increase the repellent effect. On the contrary, it can cause problems such as hives and some types of allergies. The information comes from G1.

More than three million cases

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Source: Olhar Digital