Plant Essential Oil as a Preventive Measure for Mosquito Borne Diseases: A Review

Mosquito borne diseases are major human and animal health problem in all tropical and subtropical countries. Malaria is considered endemic in 85 countries and territories around the world with higher share in the African region necessitating its control. Reports signify that annually 100-400 million cases of dengue fever and half a million cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) occur globally. The present article envisaged to review the reports of essential oils on its effectiveness as repellent. The easy availability and less adverse environmental impact have led to the increased interest in plant origin insecticides as an alternative to chemical insecticides. Essential oils belonging to various plant species and possessing mixtures of hydrocarbons have been seen to act as effective repellent against various pests. The monoterpenoids constituting the major component is found to be cytotoxic to plant and animal tissue thus impairing the normal functioning of these tissues. The commercially marketed repellents basically consist of essential oils from plants Cymbopogon nardus, Eucalyptus maculata, Cymbopogon excavatus, Mentha piperita, Azadirachta indica. The volatile nature of these components due to their short duration of efficacy has urged for the development of novel formulations, use of fixatives such as vanillin, combination essential oil and other innovative methods and devices for enhancing repellent effect.