ABSTRACT
It has now been established through a cluster controlled clinical trial in Pakistan (Rowland et al., 2004) that the use of an insect repellent in the form of Mosbar soap containing 20% deet (N,N-diethyl-3-methyl-benzamide) and 5% permethrin significantly reduced malaria incidence. It may also be able to prevent other vector-borne diseases such as leishmaniasis and dengue, although further research is required to establish this. In order to produce a community-wide reduction in disease incidence as seen in Pakistan, the majority of individuals must use repellent regularly, as mosquitoes will be diverted from repellent users to nonusers. In contrast, in areas where the disease vectors are less anthropophilic, like Anopheles culicifaces and Anopheles stephensi in rural India and Pakistan (Reisen and Boreham, 1982), the use of repellents could divert biting from humans to animals.
