A Filipino inventor has developed a product that has shown great potential in preventing a large-scale dengue outbreak.
The MYKL Kiti-KitiX, developed by Lyle Christian Herbosa, has been claimed to be effective in killing dengue-carrying mosquitoes by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), the University of the Philippines, Los Baños – Center for Health Development (UPLB-CHD), and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
Herbosa’s product is a mixture of 60-90 percent calcium hydroxide and 5-40 percent clinoptilolite and is used against mosquitoes in the immature stages and is also effective in controlling the emergence of adult mosquitoes that can act as disease carriers.
“My product targets eliminating the early stages of the mosquito. This will terminate the life cycle of the mosquito, therefore, stopping any emerging adults from spreading dengue. Unlike my competitors, repellent/killing agents only kill the mosquitos present in the area while my product prevents them from multiplying and spreading the disease,” said Herbosa.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said that Herbosa's product kills the threat of a dengue outbreak at its earliest stage unlike other products that target only the adult mosquitoes and cause them to be driven away, thus forcing them to breed in neighboring places. Another promising feature of this product is the shelf-life and its effectiveness to kill mosquitoes and their eggs or larvae with its long lasting effect from the time it is initially applied that can last from 11 to 23 months.
"With this invention, dengue prevention can take another notch forward if adopted on a national scale in order to prevent dengue outbreaks in places where mosquito-breeding sites are found," the agency said.
It also disclosed that the MYKL Kiti-kitiX project is the first to have successfully availed of DOST- Technology Application and Promotion Institute's (DOST-TAPI) iTECH Lending Program in partnership with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP). The program provided Herbosa P10.625 million loan for the upscale commercialization of his product.
“With the funded money provided by iTECH Lending Program through LBP and TAPI -IGF, I have invested it to produce my product as well as allow it to become commercially available to our direct consumers,” said Herbosa.
The product has undergone pilot testing in the Davao Region and in the Cordillera Administrative Region with both Regional DOH offices of the said areas giving the MYKL Kiti-kitiX a high efficacy remark for its outstanding results. Herbosa also added that he was able to introduce his product to numerous local government units around the country through the financial assistance from DOST-TAPI.
Apart from the iTECH Lending Program, Herbosa’s project was also a recipient of DOST-TAPI’s Invention-based Enterprise Development or IBED II program that funded the initial commercialization of his product.
The Philippines, being a tropical country, is considered to be a dengue hotspot according to the Center for Disease Control’s 2019 Dengue Map, thus making the virus a constant biological health hazard.
In 2019, the Department of Health declared a national dengue epidemic after it recorded more than 145,000 cases in the first and second quarters of the year that was almost twice than the previous year. Of the thousand cases reported every year, fatalities are at record high among children stricken by the virus based on DOH’s 2019 data.