For decades, the standard response to a mosquito surge in Lagos or Abuja was “fumigation.” However, we are hitting a wall.
Physiological resistance
Physiological resistance is the primary culprit. Mosquitoes have evolved metabolic enzymes that neutralize common pyrethroids. Essentially, we are breeding “super-mosquitoes” that survive standard sprays.
Environmental toxicity
Frequent spraying leaches chemicals into our groundwater and harms beneficial insects like bees, which are vital for Nigerian agriculture. The cycle of chemical dependence is expensive and unsustainable.
A different approach
The Malaria Project advocates for a shift toward biological “attenuation”: stopping the parasite without poisoning the land. Learn how genetic attenuation works.
