Comparative Efficiency of Four Repellents against Anopheles gambiae s.s.

Personal protection tools are of paramount importance in vector borne disease control. The use of repellents is an additional tool for use when out of bed. Four repellents N, N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), Maskitta, lemon grass and Menthol propylene glycol carbonate (MR08) were examined in this experiment for their protective efficiency against malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae senso stricta. The four repellents DEET, Maskitta, Citronella and MR08 were formulated on volume based ratio against glycerin oil. The repellent dosages were evaluated against Anopheles gambiae in a 30×30×30 cm cage. Treated arm of a volunteer was exposed in the cage for a period of one hour for each dosage. Likewise for negative control. Experiments were conducted in a room with temperature and humidity of 27±2 degree Celsius and 75±2% respectively. Each repellent experiment had six replicates. In this study the results showed that, the protective efficiency was highest in Maskitta, followed by DEET, MR08 and lemon grass was least protective in all dosages. DEET was the golden standard positive control and glycerin was negative control in these experiments. Maskitta reached a protection efficiency of 100% similar to DEET while MRO8 were above 80% in all concentrations. From the results of these experiments, the use of repellents for personal protective gear has a significant role in reducing human-vector contact. Maskitta which is a newly formulated repellent showed a protection efficiency of 100%, this is evidence that more scientific research should be carried out in order to have more quality effective products for personal protection against mosquitoes.