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Scientists are studying a drug they claim could reduce malaria transmission.
The head of malaria research at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, Simon Kariuki, said the drug, Ivermectin, could help prevent the spread of malaria in small communities by 61 per cent.
Research conducted at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital showed that the drug, which is commonly used to treat parasitic infections, was effective against mosquitoes.
“Through the study, we found out that the moment somebody takes Ivermectin, if a mosquito bites them, they actually become poisonous to that mosquito. So if a mosquito bites you after taking Ivermectin, that mosquito dies," said Mr Kariuki.
A randomised trial published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases shows that multiple, high doses of the drug are well tolerated and able to kill mosquitoes biting humans for at least 28 days after treatment.
Kariuki said Ivermectin is one of several measures - including use of treated mosquito nets and spraying houses - that could be used to reduce malaria through mass administration in a community or village.
“If everybody in a village receives the drug at the same time, it means that for the 28 days that Ivermectin is effective you would have a continuous killing effect."
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