Effiicacy of Lemon Grass as Mosquito Repellant

519 Words3 Pages
Chapter I: Introduction BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY One of the most prevalent disease carriers today is the mosquitoes. The female mosquito needs to obtain protein nutrients from a “blood meal” before she can develop and produce larvae. There are about 3,500 species of mosquitoes found throughout the world and most are vectors for a number of infectious diseases affecting millions of people per year. According to the World Health Organization, global warming enhanced by deforestation and environmental degradation causes the alarming increase in the range of mosquitoes carrying malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever, putting millions more humans at risk. One effective way of controlling mosquito bites is the use of insect repellant to ward off female mosquito bite. Repellants do not kill insects, but work by “masking human scent” or through emitting a scent insects typically avoid. Because insects such as mosquitoes are attracted to odors emitted by the skin and carbon dioxide from breath, repellants work by covering or neutralizing the alluring scent, making a person unattractive for feeding (CDC, 2008). So the premise of this study is to come up with an effective alternative control of this condition without the use of artificial chemicals like DEET (diethyl-meta-toluamide) a common chemical content in commercial repellent sprays which can be toxic and harmful. The best alternative is to develop a plant based mosquito insect repellent that is safe, effective and very easy to make. One of this is the use of Lemon Grass Oil extracts as natural insect repellent since some plants are known to be good & effective insect repellent. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: This study will determine the efficacy of Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon Citratus) Oil Extract as mosquito repellent. Specific Objectives: This study will specifically aim: a.) To determine method to extract

More about Effiicacy of Lemon Grass as Mosquito Repellant

Open Document