Research progress on mosquito repellents and preven-tion of mosquito-borne diseases

Dai Shi¹, Shengli Yue¹, Min Lin¹, Lei Zhou¹, Jiakang Yu¹, Taotao Wei^1*

¹Wuxi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214000, China

*Correspondence:

Taotao Wei; Email: 18921299573@163.com

Abstract

Mosquito-borne diseases remain a critical focus in global public health, with conditions such as malaria, dengue fever, and chikungunya fever causing millions of infections and deaths worldwide annually, posing a persistent threat to human health. Nearly half of the global population is at risk of mosquito-borne infections. Concurrently, environmental factors including climate change and accelerated urbanization are expanding the geographic distribution of these diseases, further complicating prevention and control efforts. This study systematically examines two core strategies: insect repellent development and vector control. It details the current applications of chemical repellents, natural plant-based repellents, and spatial repellents, while systematically analyzing implementation priorities for integrated vector control, comprehensive vector management, disease diagnosis and vaccine development, and public health education. The research identifies key challenges in vector control, including pesticide resistance, climate change, and emerging pathogens. Based on existing findings, it outlines future directions for innovative repellent development, biological control technologies, epidemic monitoring systems, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The study concludes that effective vector control requires a dynamic, multi-strategy integrated system adaptable to evolving mosquito behaviors, environmental conditions, and pathogen characteristics.

Keywords:mosquito-borne diseases, insect repellents, vector control, public health, insecticide resistance, integrated pest management