Mosquito bites are not only annoying but also pose a serious danger to those living in tropical areas. The mosquito still manages to bite even when people are covered in a bed net or have long sleeves on. Insects can easily pierce these fabrics since there are spaces between the strands.
An easy yet efficient fix for this issue has been found by an entomologist from Auburn University in Alabama, USA. The university team developed a unique fabric weave that prevents mosquito bites. It is constructed in a way that prevents the mosquito’s proboscis, a needle-like tubular structure, from transmitting disease.
“We have designed three micro-resolution knitted structures, with five adjustable parameters, that can block bites. These designs were integrated into a computer numerical control knitting robot for mass production of bite-blocking garments with minimal human labor,” the authors wrote in their paper.
They developed a special geometric design that prevents the proboscis from passing through the garment. They then looked for the ideal fabric for countries with hot climates and created a spandex-polyester blend fabric as a result. They selected this fabric to make it cozy and wearable in tropical climates where diseases spread by mosquitoes are a major worry. Both Psorophora howardii and Aedes aegypti were used to test the final prototype.
“Our discoveries arm individuals with the power to protect themselves from vector-borne disease in hot climates. The manufacturing process of these textile garments reduces human labor and will not negatively impact the environment,” the paper states.
Every year, thousands of people die from mosquito bites around the world. Mosquito bites are a typical way for diseases like West Nile virus, dengue fever, and malaria to spread.
The team is also working on an alternative, perhaps lengthy approach to sterilizing or genetically modifying mosquitoes.
