Relating to Insect Vectors from 1995 to 2004 Phytochemicals as Repellents against Mosquitoes in Thailand (original) (raw)

Repellents are commonly used for personal protection against mosquitoes worldwide. They are one of the most effective products used in prevention and control of mosquito-borne tropical diseases. Although there are a number of effective repellents containing chemical active ingredients, such as deet, KBR 3023 and IR3535 there is in concern with regard to chemical toxicity. To overcome this concern phytochemicals extracted from various plants have been formulated as mosquito repellents to be sold in Thailand in recent years. Since the year 2000, 44 formulations of mosquito repellents containing plant extracts as active ingredients were evaluated for repellency against Ae. aegypti under laboratory conditions at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Thailand. These extracts included citronella oil, eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, turmeric oil, bergamot oil, lavender extract, tobacco-leaves extract, clove extract and neem-leaves extract. The protection offered by these products was up to...