Sleeping sickness is a much-neglected tropical disease, caused by a bite from a tsetse fly which transmits a certain parasite. It occurs in most of sub-Sahara Africa. Recently, British scientists discovered that the tsetse fly is attracted to blue. To reduce the tsetse fly population, blue materials such as flags are being posted close to rivers, lakes and swamps where the flies are commonly found. The flies circle it and land on a black netting attached to it which they can’t see, where they pick up an insecticide. Early monitoring of the success of these targets suggests that they are having a big impact, reducing the fly population by around 90 percent, thus reducing the number of people with sleeping sickness.
How to fight sleeping sickness in Africa? Lure the tsetse fly!
More of Today's Solutions
Archeologists discover the Sistine Chapel of the Ancients in the Amazon
The world of archaeology has just been stunned with the recent discovery of one of the world’s largest collections of prehistoric paintings, stretching across ...
Read MoreResistance training fights muscle loss. Here are 3 ways to do more of it
We've know for a while that resistance training is key to longevity and health. In a recent study, researchers found that resistance training was ...
Read MoreThe Bison Bridge – World’s longest human-made wildlife crossing
Chad Pregracke is an impassioned conservationist who spends his time on barges, cleaning up refuse from the Mississippi River. While on the river, he ...
Read MoreTiny spas for endangered frogs battling fatal fungi
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Biologists devised a novel approach to tackle a fatal fungal illness that threatens amphibians worldwide. These specially designed ...
Read More
