Repellent effect of local indigenous knowledge-based repellent in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, against Aedes aegypti mosquito

Danita Champakaew; Palita Rattanasophon; Chayanid Phannasee; Wanwisa Saehao; Chutipong Sukkanon; Jitrawadee Intirach; Anuluck Junkum; Benjawan Pitasawat

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21589

Repellent effect of local indigenous knowledge-based repellent in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, against Aedes aegypti mosquito

Heliyon. 2023 Oct 31;9(11):e21589. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21589. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Authors

Danita Champakaew¹, Palita Rattanasophon², Chayanid Phannasee², Wanwisa Saehao², Chutipong Sukkanon³, Jitrawadee Intirach⁴, Anuluck Junkum⁵, Benjawan Pitasawat⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health, Walailak University, Thailand and Excellent Center for Dengue and Community Public Health (EC for DACH), 80160, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.
² Public Health Program in Community Public Health, School of Public Health, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand.
³ School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand.
⁴ Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou 570100, China.
⁵ Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand.

Abstract

Dengue fever has been a significant disease in Thailand for a long time, ranking it as one of the major health problems in the country. Management of the adult stage of mosquito vectors is approached by applying various synthetic chemicals such as adulticides, attractants, deterrents, and repellents. In Thailand, mosquito control and personal protection from mosquito bites are currently the most important measures for preventing and controlling mosquito-borne diseases. Although there are various control strategies for dengue disease, participation from the local community plays a vital role in the success of disease control. At present, a lot of local people have seen the value of local indigenous knowledge and used this to improve their life. The local community in the southern part of Thailand has used mosquito repellent from local knowledge for a long time. The problem regarding mosquito repellent made from local indigenous knowledge is that it has not yet been tested to determine its effectiveness. Therefore, this research aims to assess the effectiveness of mosquito repellent from local learning from Nakhon Si Thammarat provinces in Thailand. From the survey, out of 23 districts, six mosquito repellents were found in 3 communities, including Nabon, Muang, and Thasala. The repellent efficacy against the laboratory strain of Aedes aegypti by using the human-bait technique of the WHO (1996) standard method, with slight modifications. Approximately 0.1 ml of each test sample was applied evenly onto a 30 cm² test site on one forearm of each human volunteer. Exposure experiments continued at 30 min intervals until at least two bites occurred in a 3-min period, or when a first bite was followed by a confirming bite (second bite) in the subsequent observation period. Each test was duplicated on different days for the two human volunteers. The result shows that three mosquito repellents made from local indigenous knowledge that have protection that lasts for more than 2 h are Ban Ko Sa Child Development Center's citronella spray (Nabon district, Kaew Saen subdistrict), Khun Lang's citronella spray, and Khun Lang's citronella ointment (Muang district, Pak Phun subdistrict). The result of this research was reported back to the local community to re-evaluate their self-reliance on their protection against mosquito biting.