Japan's Kansai to help Zambia paint out malaria

Kansai Paint

02/10/2018 11:37

LUSAKA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Kansai Plascon, owned by
Tokyo-listed Kansai Paint Co Ltd  4613.T , has launched the
world's first mosquito repellant paint in Zambia to help it
reach a target to eliminate malaria by 2021, the company and a
Japanese government official said.
    Malaria, spread by mosquitoes, is a treatable disease if
caught early, but current anti-malarial drugs are failing in
many areas as people develop resistance to them.
    Zambia aims to eradicate malaria, the southern African
country's biggest killer, within three years after deaths from
the disease halved last year from 2014, the government said in
June.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N1TT3HD
    Hanai Junichi, Japan International Cooperation Agency's
(JICA) Zambia resident representative said his agency was
carrying out the initiative in partnership with Kansai.
    "A study done in the last two years in 400 households with
Zambia's ministry of health proved that the paint is very
effective and is not harmful to human beings," Junichi told
Reuters.
    While mosquito nets, prophylactics and insecticide spraying
are still in use, the disease continues to account for more than
one million deaths on the African continent each year, the
company said.
    The paint technology disrupts the mosquito's nervous system
on contact, reducing its ability to remain on walls where the
paint has been applied.  
    The insect typically alights on vertical structures, which
is why inside walls have been a key focus of anti-malarial
efforts, such as the spraying of DDTs on them.  
    "The knock-down effect lasts for up to two years, offering
lasting protection from malaria infection and other
mosquito-borne diseases," Kansai said.
    The world has made huge strides against malaria since 2000,
with death rates plunging by 60 percent and at least six million
lives saved globally, WHO says.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N1TD4PY
    But efforts to end one of the world's deadliest diseases -
which kills about 430,000 people a year, mostly children in
sub-Saharan Africa - are under threat as mosquitoes become
increasingly resistant to measures such as bed nets and drugs. 

 (Reporting by Chris Mfula; Editing by Ed Stoddard and Emelia
Sithole-Matarise)
 ((mailto:chris.mfula@thomsonreuters.com;))