Candles to Keep Malaria At Bay

Killing mosquitoes and putting malaria at bay could be as simple as lighting a candle.

All you have to do is let at least two eco-candles burn for about four hours and the threat of mosquitoes will be gone.

The effects of the candles can stretch for over eight hours, are eco-friendly and have no side-effects.

They are the latest, affordable and effective innovation to curb malaria.

The smokeless, non-drip, eco-friendly mosquito repellent candles have come at the most opportune time - when there is a global drive to fight the number one killer disease.

As opposed to ordinary candles, they are made of pyrethrum, neem and eucalyptus with the specific purpose to kill mosquitoes and prevent a malaria attack.

Providing light

"The two basic components of the eco-candle is to provide light and to repel mosquitoes. It is time that Kenyans stopped looking at candles only for the purpose of lighting a room when there is a blackout. They should use candles as a repellent too. Even if you have lights in the house, it is still effective to light the candles for this purpose," says Mr Steve Waweru, one of the three partners of Teque Afrique, the sole manufacturers of the eco-candle. The others are Mr Mahindra Patel and Ms Fiona Mati.

Certified by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe), the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KBS) and the International Patent office as valid, the repellent reflects the efficacy of combined natural oils.

"Because all the three components of pyrethrum, neem and eucalyptus are natural repellents, they work together perfectly when it comes to repelling mosquitoes. This is the formula we embarked on to get the eco-candle mosquito repellent," says Mr Waweru.

Pyrethrum, the safest known and resilient botanical insecticide, flushes out mosquitoes leading them to leave their hiding places and expose themselves to its insecticidal vapour. The pyrethrum oil has a rapid paralytic action on mosquitoes.

Feeding and mating

The neem, locally known as mwarubaini, affects mosquito behaviour and physiology, especially their feeding, growth and mating. It also purifies the air and the environment.

The eucalyptus has repellent effects on mosquitoes and other biting insects. It affects their locomotive and feeding behaviour and gives the candle an aromatic smell.

The candle's mild aromatic fragrance is largely eucalyptus although the fragrance fizzles out as the candle burns.

The repellent burns gently, with neither smoke nor spillage and after a few hours, the mosquitoes begin falling off. Once the candle is lit, the active oil mixture is vaporised at ambient temperatures at a rate sufficient to repel insects.

The innovation did not come easy although it was not triggered by anything scientific.

"It begun sometime in early 2003 when my friend Mahindra and I were chatting. Then we lapsed into talking about the pyrethrum plant and what would happen if we were to put some pyrethrum in a candle. We were then looking for pyrethrum to sell. We confirmed that pyrethrum as a plant disintegrates into the atmosphere fast especially under direct sunlight. So we sought to mix neem into our test. But then neem is too potent. By now we were deliberately seeking a mixture that would be eco-friendly as well as a repellent for mosquitoes. We sought advice at Icipe and that is when we settled for the eucalyptus for its repellent nature. We mixed all three, burning them into candles and suddenly we realised we were coming-up with quite an interesting innovation," says Mr Waweru.

By June 2003, they had taken their discovery to Icipe for tests.

"It was a tedious process because for instance they had to light the candles in a room and count all the mosquitoes on sight. They would lock the room and come in after several hours to count how many mosquitoes had fallen off and died. It was a procedure that took four days," he adds.

Eventually Icipe was satisfied with the findings and the partners took their discovery to the KBS. It took a week and they were given a positive response. Then came the procedure to get their innovation patented by the International Patent office.

"The project had to be put into the public domain for several months - be circulated in various African countries as well as Belgium, US, Canada, China and Japan to ensure there was no other similar innovation in existence. Eventually there was no objection from the Geneva office and so we got to work."

Teque Afrique as a company had to be vetted by the Government to have the product incorporated as one used in the fight and prevention of malaria.

Getting the innovation certified by the Pests Control and Products Board under the Agriculture ministry took the innovation team back to the laboratories.

"Even after the whole procedure, we had to go back and test the workings of each ingredient in the candle. Remember that at first the ingredients were all tested as mixtures. So we pitched camp at the Chiromo campus to check every detail for example how the candle would affect people, pets and the environment.

Outstanding issues included how to dispose of the candles, how many types of mosquitoes they could affect and how the candles were going to be used and stored.

The company is stocking their products in major supermarkets including Uchumi and Nakumatt. A box of eight candles goes for Sh80. It is advisable to burn at least two candles at dusk, around 6pm for good results.

"As neem is an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial plant, its benefits are obvious. The impurities are even used in toothpaste and breathers. Pyrethrum has no side effect," explains Mr Waweru.

Preventing measures

"Using the eco-candles is a good way of Kenyans to enjoy their pyrethrum," Ms Mati says.

The three officials are on a countrywide trail marketing the product especially in remote rural areas where mosquitoes are rife and people can hardly afford preventive measures.

"Mosquitoes vary from region to region. For example, the lakeside mosquito would be different from the highlands mosquito. It is just the same as the Ruai mosquito being different from the mosquito in Langata," says Mr Waweru.

AllAfrica.com