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Pyrethroid‐impregnated hessian curtains for protection against mosquitoes indoors in South India
Author(s) -
POOPATHI S.,
RAO D. RAGHUNATHA
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2915.1995.tb00174.x
Subject(s) - biology , pyrethroid , hessian matrix , toxicology , ecology , pesticide , mathematics
. Hessian curtains impregnated with deltamethrin 50 mg/m 2 were hung in the eaves and doorways of eight one‐roomed huts in Madurai, Tamil Nadu State, South India. Statistically significant reductions of indoor‐resting and man‐biting densities of the mosquitoes Anopheles subpictus and Culex quinquefasciatus were observed for 14 weeks, in two field trials. Bioassays on curtains in the field showed over 50% mortality of Cx quinquefasciatus and An. stephensi for up to 8 weeks. The curtains were highly acceptable to the community, and cost approximately Rs.33.15 (US1.05) for material and Rs.10 (0.32) for deltamethrin per hut, totalling Rs 53.15 (1.70) for two impregnations giving 6 months protection. Comparative costs of house‐spraying with residual insecticides are estimated as Rs.1.92 (0.06) for two rounds of DDT at lg/m 2 , or Rs.40 (1.27) for three rounds of malathion at 2g/m 2 . Therefore the relative annual cost of protection using deltamethrin‐impregnated hessian curtains is 28× or 1.3× more than for house‐spraying with DDT or malathion, respectively (excluding operational expenditure).