Grand Challenges Canada, Toronto
13 Jul 11
Fredros Okumu, Tanzania
Tanzanian researchers are awarded a two-year grant to further develop a device that uses human foot odor to lure disease-spreading mosquitos into a trap. The odor (both natural and synthetic) creates a bait that attracts four times more mosquitoes than a live human being.
Such outdoor devices could one day complement indoor spraying programs and bed nets in reducing malaria and perhaps other mosquito-bourne diseases like elephantiasis and leishmaniasis.
The grant, from Grand Challenges Canada and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is detailed in the news release below.
Full news release: click here
Coverage summary: click here
Example coverage, by The Washington Post: click here, The Associated Press: click here, CNN click here