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Artificial Lights As a Weapon To Fight Against Malaria

Artificial Lights As a Weapon To Fight Against Malaria:

A study demonstrated that artificial lights can be used as a weapon to fight against malaria.

Key highlights:

  • Light plays a crucial role in the regulation of biological clocks such as timing of breeding among birds, hunting by lions and sleeping patterns of humans.
  • The timing of day and night has remained relatively constant owing to the earth’s rotation, life on the planet has evolved with such regular day-night cycles.
  • Melatonin hormone is a gene responsible for regulating the sleep-awake cycles.
  • It is found in plants as well as animals.
  • A rapid change in the natural sleep cycles has been observed on account of increased use of artificial light
  • Currently, around 80% of the world’s population is living under artificially lit skies.
  • Artificial light can alter mosquito biology.
  • Malaria-transmitting mosquito species “Anopheles” feeds at night.
  • Using artificial light, the mosquitoes can be tricked to behave as if it’s daytime.
  • A short pulse of Light Emitting Diode (LED) light, commonly can delay the onset of biting by hours in the mosquito “Anopheles”.
  • Therefore, it reduces biting rates and malaria transfer.