Mouka Mozzi: Bringing Succour to Nigerians against Mosquito Bites

Mouka Mozzi: Bringing Succour to Nigerians against Mosquito Bites

Martins Ifijeh

During rainy season, stagnant water often caused by poor drainage creates a suitable environment for mosquitos to breed and multiply. For this reason, it is imperative that we protect ourselves and our loved ones from malaria causing mosquitoes during this period.

Nigeria’s leading manufacturer of mattresses and diverse bedding products, Mouka recently launched Mouka Mozzi, a range of insect repellents which provide 24-hour protection for all members of the family. The new product range alsoboasts of a pioneer status in Africa’s biotechnology with respect to insect repellent properties.

According to the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Raymond Murphy, “Due to inadequate protection from mosquitoes and other insects, our consumers are unable to enjoy quality sleep on our products. Mouka Mozzi offers protection from mosquitoes and other insects to ensure you sleep well and stay healthy.”

With rainy season, as is common knowledge, comes a multiplication of mosquitoes; a situation which exacerbates the challenge already posed to the health of families dwelling in mosquito infested riverine areas. As water level rises, these families become increasingly vulnerable to mosquito bites which are likely to cause diseases like Malaria, Dengue fever and even the Zika virus.

According to findings by the United Pest Solutions, an American pest control provider based in Greater Seattle Area, “mosquitoes much like whales need water to survive. Whales get their oxygen from making periodic visits to the surface to refresh their oxygen supply and eliminate carbon dioxide.

“Water also provides mosquitoes with a site for laying eggs and begin the next generation; and young mosquitoes find their food supply within the elements that thrive in the same water.

“Seasons, when heavy rains are accompanied by flooding also seem to attract mosquitoes. Flood water is the perfect breeding ground for them. The incidence of mosquito infestations grows during the wetter seasons of the year.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world. Their ability to carry and spread diseases to humans causes millions of deaths every year. In 2015 malaria alone caused 438,000 deaths.

The WHO also notes that the worldwide incidence of dengue has risen 30-fold in the past 30 years, and more countries are reporting their first outbreaks of the disease. The organization also says Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya, and Yellow fever are all transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Reacting to the incidence of diseases caused in Nigeria by Aedes aegypti mosquito, the WHO asserts that on 22 November 2018, it was informed of a cluster of suspected Yellow fever cases and deaths in Edo State, Nigeria.

Another reputable organisation and publisher, PLOS ONE, the world’s largest multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal with a mission to advance progress in sciences and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication, discloses that Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease endemic to some countries of South America and sub-Saharan Africa.

“Yellow fever can present various clinical features ranging from a self-limited, mild febrile illness to fatal symptoms such as hemorrhages and liver damages.

“Most of all cases reported annually (80-90 percent) occur in Africa where Yellow fever covers 44 countries,” a research publication by PLOS ONE reveals.

It is therefore imperative to adopt an effective mosquito control method to avert what has become global tragic cases of mosquito-borne diseases as the WHO and other relevant health organisations have advocated.

The WHO while noting that more than half of the world’s population live in areas where the Aedes aegypti mosquito species is present, adds that sustained mosquito control efforts are important to prevent outbreaks from diseases associated with these mosquitoes.

Murphy said Mouka Mozzi repellents were therefore needed to keep mosquitoes away this wet season of the year and during warmer weather when the mosquito population is most active.

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