ANTIMALARIA FIGHT
Paint that wards off mosquitoes launched in Zambia
Zambia aims to eradicate malaria, the country’s biggest killer, within three years
Lusaka -Kansai Plascon, owned by Tokyo-listed Kansai Paint, has launched the world’s first mosquito repellent paint in Zambia to help it reach a target to eliminate malaria by 2021, the company and a Japanese government official say. Malaria, spread by mosquitoes, is a treatable disease if caught early, but current anti-malarial drugs are failing in many areas as people develop resistance to them.
Zambia aims to eradicate malaria, the country’s biggest killer, within three years after deaths from the disease halved in 2017 from 2014, the government said. The Japan International Co-operation Agency’s Zambia representative, Hanai Junichi, said the initiative is in partnership with Kansai. "A study done in the last two years in 400 households with Zambia’s ministry of health proved that the paint is very effective and is not harmful to human beings," he said. While mosquito nets, prophylactics and spraying insecticide are still in use, the disease continues to account for more th...
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