Overview of Personal Protection Measures Through the Innovative

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the strategies of sources reduction or larviciding may not justify the cost effectiveness of a

long-term vector control initiative, so we should work on where the sandflies are going to

but not where the sand flies are coming from Figure (3.1 D).

Various measures of personal protection, both empirical and scientific, are proposed

and used in any part of the world, to keep away unwanted arthropods or organisms in

general. The methodologies and materials for this purpose range from the use of scents,

sounds, ultrasounds, lights, physical-mechanical impediment barriers and mostly repel-

lents, both the botanically based and those of purely chemical origin, obtained from in-

dustrial synthesis processes. Typical available repellents are the forms to be released into

the area or simply the topical ones. The use of repellents against the bite of arthropods

to lower, the risk of diseases transmission, are nowadays, part of the consolidated medi-

cal prevention protocols recommended by national and world health bodies that deal with

public health. The literature on the effectiveness of personal protection products against

arthropods is mainly limited to studies of prevention of bites, rather than prevention of dis-

ease (Debboun and Strickman 2012).

Scientists have suggested that cotton fabrics might be enhanced to more effec-

tively repel mosquitos by using microencapsulation (Grancaric, Laird, Botteri, Shen and

Laatikainen 2019). In addition to the use of textiles, some of the advances to improve the ef-

ficacy of products and methods with an eye toward ecologically friendly outcomes include

the use of nanotechnologies in combination with traditional repellents. While insecticide-

based vector control strategies are important for the management of vector-borne diseases,

the advent of insecticide-resistance threatens the effectiveness of this approach in the future

(Peter, Bossche, Van Den and Sharp, 2005). Besides humans, numerous animals including

horses with relatively large bodies suffer from mosquito bites and mosquito-related trans-

mission of diseases (Talbalaghi, Ali and Hassandoust 2018) hence, innovative methods for

animal control such as the use of repellents are strongly recommended.

In vector control, the different situations faced demand different solutions in the right

ways meaning creating purpose-built strategies that fit the context in which people are

living. Insect repellents are therefore an alternative to the use of insecticides. They may be

applied to the skin to protect an individual from the bites of mosquitos, mites, ticks and

lice or, less commonly, may be used to exclude insects from an area such as in packaging

to prevent infestation of stored products (Peterson and Coats 2001).

3.3

INSECT REPELLENT MODE OF ACTION

The act of repelling insects is an age long practice. In many cases, it has been found

that the behavior that has been labelled as repellency may be the result of any number

of physiological or biochemical events. Hematophagous insects have been the subject of

documented attempts of pest control. Among the earliest reports of repellent use are from

Herodotus, a Greek historian (Paluch, Bartholomay and Coats 2010). The testing of over

6000 chemicals from 1942 to 1947 in a variety of research institutions led to the identi-

fication of multiple successful repellent chemistries (Morton, Travis and Linduska 2017).