How ‘gardening’ may help tackle malaria


Team Udayavani, Jul 5, 2017, 4:40 PM IST

Jerusalem : Gardening may serve as a powerful tool against the spread of malaria, say scientists who found that getting rid of certain flowers can help curb mosquito population by cutting off their food supply.

Researchers, including those from Hebrew University in Israel, tested nine villages in the arid Bandiagara district of Mali in West Africa. They removed the flowers of a shrub – Prosopis juliflora – from three villages where it had been common.

These were compared with three others where the P juliflora was allowed to remain, and three more where it had never appeared at all. They set light traps around all the villages to catch mosquitoes so they could see if the “gardening” had helped cull the insects.

Researchers found that villages where they removed the flowers saw mosquito numbers collected in the traps fall – the total number of mosquitoes across these villages decreased by nearly 60 per cent after removal of the flowers, ‘BBC News’ reported.

The number of old female mosquitoes dropped to similar levels recorded in the three villages without any of the shrubs. Researchers believe the mosquitoes died of starvation. The female Anopheles mosquitoes carry the malaria parasite in their salivary glands and pass it on to people when they bite and draw blood.

The infected person can then infect other younger, biting, female mosquitoes – which are looking for a rich blood meal as they become fertile and make eggs – because their blood now contains the parasite.
The study was published in the journal Malaria Research.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Maharashtra Polls: Eknath Shinde targets Uddhav for `giving up’ Bal Thackeray’s principles for power

Will appear before Lokayukta for questioning in MUDA case, says CM Siddaramaiah

Lies have short life, Cong’s ‘fake’ narrative smashed: Fadnavis

Temple idols found desecrated in Hyderabad, case registered

SC junks plea against quashing of LOC issued to ex-house help of Sushant Singh Rajput

JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal to visit K’taka on Nov 7 to meet farmers protesting Waqf notices

Indian boxer Mandeep Jangra wins WBF’s world title

Related Articles More

Weight loss could help one manage PCOS symptoms, study suggests

Risk of abnormal blood fat levels increased by about 30 pc during pandemic, finds study

Attention problems could be ‘middleman’ between genetic risk for, experiencing psychosis: Study

Meeting WHO’s sodium recommendations could avert deaths from heart, kidney disease: Study

Meeting WHO’s sodium recommendations could avert deaths from heart, kidney disease: Study

MUST WATCH

Gho Pooja in Deepavali Festival

Melukote Deepavali

Ganapathi Co-operative Society Ltd

Udayavani Chinnara Banna 2024

Annapoorna Aahar | Food Places In Mysore


Latest Additions

Davanagere: Man murdered by relative for insurance money; 4 arrested within 24 hours

Heroin worth Rs 3.5 crore recovered in police raid in Delhi, 2 arrested

Govt clerk found dead in Tahsildar’s chamber, FIR filed against minister’s PA, 2 others

Treated Muslims like fuel for ‘lantern’: Prashant Kishor targets Lalu, asks upper castes to stay away from Nitish

MP Brijesh Chowta urges Kerala CM for strict action against attack on Edneer Swamiji’s vehicle

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.