Overview of Personal Protection Measures Through the Innovative

■37

where

C = number of landing counts in untreated group

T = number of landing counts in treated group

3.10

FUTURE PERSPECTIVE AND OUTLOOK

Analogous to the consolidated use of repellents to ward off mosquitos, in sand fly con-

trol and as an extension, control of sandfly-transmitted infections in humans and animals

alike, one of the effective control measures is through the use of repellents. This method

is important because man is a dead-end host of a number of Leishmania species therefore

treatment of existing cases may prove an abortive control measure as it generally does not

affect the transmission cycle. In zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis, control of the infection

and reduction in transmission is achieved through protecting animals from sandfly bites.

This can be achieved through the use of insecticide impregnated collars and textiles used

to create a physical barrier between the animal and the feeding sandfly. This form of inter-

ruption of transmission cycle by personal protection and creating physical barriers as with

Leishmania is effective in vector control of different vector species eg ticks, mosquitos,

bed bugs. This is particularly important in humans and animals as multi-pathogen hosts

because contact between the vector and the host is interrupted consequently leading to a

disruption in pathogen transmission and hence, a reduction in VBD transmission, reducing

overall disease burden.

Thanks to the technology of incorporating repellent materials in fabrics, ensuring that

the repellent material is slow in release and long lasting; the fabric as well attains re-

pellent quality. Textile technology may be promising with better repellence effect on the

sand fly more than on mosquitos (usually a topical repellent has more repellence effect on

sand flies than with mosquitos). It is necessary to run the test against sand fly in the fight

against leishmaniasis (cutaneous CL and visceral VL) which affects thousands of persons

and a properly evaluated and effective product may create a revolutionary approach to fight

against this debilitating disease in many countries of the Middle East.

Middle Eastern countries are at greater risk from leishmaniasis because this region is

endemic for cutaneous leishmaniasis and sees a great deal of human migration from other

parts of the world. Countries with ample resources, like Saudi Arabia, have taken good

measures to control the disease, evident by a gradual decline of cases reported in the past

few years. Other countries, like Syria, Iran, and Iraq, should put an emphasis on health

care facilities for the control of leishmaniasis. Also, a massive effort on reservoir and vec-

tor control along with actively pursuing diagnosis in endemic foci will be helpful.

Current and future technologies aimed at the development of botanical repellents are

promising alternatives to the repellent formulations currently in the market. Odorizing re-

ceptors on the antennae of arthropods differ and are more sensitive in sand flies than in

mosquitos. The use of textiles impregnated with repellents as socks could be utilized to

avoid attack by ticks. Similarly, with materials such as repellent infused textile bracelets,