Scientists have developed an insecticide that exploits a mosquito’s attraction to sweet substances and makes it believe it is drinking a sugary treat.
The drug is laced with chemicals that mimic the sweet smells that lure the insects.
It has been found to almost totally eradicate mosquitoes in the malaria-plagued Tanzanian villages where it has been trialled.
The drug, Vectrax, could bolster efforts to suppress malaria, Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases worldwide.
The Brazilian scientist who developed the drug, Agenor Mafra-Neto, says the aim was to make it affordable and get it distributed through UN and non-governmental aid agencies.
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