Pull and push for malaria mosquitoes
Worldwide, malaria causes nearly half a million deaths a year. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes. Wageningen University & Research is testing different combinations of mosquito repellents and attractants under semi-field conditions in Kenya and Tanzania in Africa. They aim to develop an optimised ‘push-pull’ system, pushing the outdoor and evening biting mosquitoes away from houses and pulling them into traps, thus, removing them from the environment. By reducing contact between humans and malaria mosquitoes, malaria transmission will be reduced and health improved.