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Asolar-powered mosquito trap is helping lower the incidence of malaria on Rusinga Island in Western Kenya.
The device, invented by Kenyan and Dutch researchers, uses a solar roof panel to power an electric fan and mosquito zapper, installed on the outside of traditional tin-roofed mud and daub houses. Nylon strips, laced with artificial human scent, draw mosquitoes to the trap, and the fan sucks them into the device, the researchers said.
Dr. Shanaz Sharif, Kenya’s director of public health, predicted the device could help “reduce the burden of public spending toward treating malaria, which is about $100 million per year.”
Rusinga Island is known for its nearly year-round heat and its high prevalence of malaria.
But the sunshine also makes it particularly suitable for solar-powered devices. So far, the inventors have tested it in 470 households. Besides capturing mosquitoes, its solar panels can power two light bulbs and a mobile phone charger.
Backers of the device hope to begin selling it commercially in 2014. The device also aims to reduce dependency on insecticides and mosquitos’ growing resistance to them. Residents of Rusinga Island, home to 22,000 people, say they think the device is helping protect them against malaria.
Peter Otieno, 23, who has one of the devices in his home, said that an added attraction is that “we do not have to go through all the trouble of using insecticide-treated nets on our beds in this hot weather.”
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