Scientists have discovered that a drug called nitisinone, used to treat a rare genetic disorder, makes human blood toxic to malaria-carrying mosquitoes. When mosquitoes bite someone taking the drug, they die within 24 hours as they can’t digest the blood — a breakthrough that could revolutionize mosquito control. Unlike ivermectin, another drug under investigation for mosquito control, nitisinone lasts longer in the bloodstream and remains effective even against insecticide-resistant mosquitoes. It can also be vaporized and used like a traditional insecticide. While the drug doesn’t block malaria transmission directly, it could significantly reduce mosquito populations. Field tests are now being planned, offering new hope in the fight against malaria, which killed nearly 600,000 people in 2023.
Source: DW