Filipino inventor Lyle Christian R. Herbosa has developed a mosquito-killing agent that is believed to have great potential in the large-scale dengue outbreak prevention that is once again a major concern with the onset of the rainy season in the Philippines.
The invention is welcome news to the Philippines, a tropical country that is considered to be a dengue hotspot with thousands of cases recorded annually.
Herbosa’s MYKL Kiti-KitiX is a mixture of 60-90% calcium hydroxide and 5-40% clinoptilolite. It was used effectively against mosquitoes in the immature stages.
The joint report from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), the University of the Philippines, Los Baños – Center for Health Development (UPLB-CHD), and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) notes that Herbosa’s invention is also effective in controlling the emergence of adult mosquitoes that can act as disease carriers.
“My product targets eliminating the early stages of the mosquito. This will terminate the life cycle of the mosquito, therefore, stopping any emerging adults from spreading dengue,” said Herbosa in the Department of Science and Technology report released July 9, 2020.
“Unlike my competitors, said repellent/killing agents only kill the mosquitos present in the area while my product prevents them from multiplying and spreading the disease,” added Herbosa.
Another promising feature of this product is the shelf-life and its effectiveness to kill mosquitoes and their eggs or larvae with its long-lasting effect from the time it is initially applied that can last from 11 to 23 months.
The product has undergone pilot testing in the Davao Region and in the Cordillera Administrative Region with both Regional Health Department offices of the said areas giving the MYKL Kiti-kitiX a high efficacy remark for its outstanding results.
Herbosa also added that he was able to introduce his product to numerous local government units across the country.
The MYKL Kiti-kitiX project is the first to have successfully availed of the Department of Science and Technology – Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI) iTECH Lending Program in partnership with Land Bank of the Philippines.
The Program provided Herbosa a loan worth Php 10.625 million for the upscale commercialization of his product that was first-funded in 2017 as a DOST-TAPI IBED II program grantee.
The DOST had also supported research for a cheaper and faster Dengue Test Kit called Lab-in-a-Mug developed by University of the Philippines scientists who later developed the first Philippine-made COVID-19 Test kit.
Filipino science researchers from the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute with support from DOST had also developed the world’s first anti-dengue medicine.
Filipino dengue case predictor Project AEDES won the NASA Space Apps Challenge global hackathon.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below to Lyle Herbosa and DOST for developing the mosquito-killing agent to stop dengue.
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