Are Insecticide treated mosquito nets a health hazard?
As Uganda launches mosquito net distribution campaign week, in neighboring Kenya they have been rejected and declared dangerous to human life as they contains chemicals dangerous to human life
Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) say they are now doing research to eliminate the unsafe synthetic insecticides.
The nets are treated by insecticides known as pyrethroids, which, according to the researchers, its high concentrations cause asthma and cancer to infants and young children, and are very harmful to the environment since they do not break down easily. Kemri report says.
“All mosquito bed nets distributed to households in East African countries are treated using synthetic insecticides, which are not safe.
“We are looking for a way of coming up with natural extract from pyrethrum to make safe insecticides and even use them in making indoor residual sprays which are harmless,” said Dr Festus Tolo, head of Natural Product Research and Drug Development Programme at Kem
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