Japanese companies Kao Corporation and Earth Corporation share the goal of contributing to solving the problem of mosquito-borne infectious diseases and have begun collaborating to address this issue. Applying Kao’s technology that prevents mosquitoes from flying by wetting their wings and bodies, Kao and Earth have developed the ARS Mos Shooter, a spray that can eradicate mosquitoes. It will be launched in Thailand from July 2024.

In addition, Earth (Thailand) is collaborating with educational organisations such as the Ministry of Public Health and schools to offer consumer-oriented instructional programmes.

There is currently no vaccine or treatment for dengue fever, therefore it is critical to avoid being bitten by disease-carrying mosquitoes and to minimise mosquito outbreaks. Furthermore, it has long been a social issue in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world, due to the significant economic burden it entails.

The number of people infected with dengue fever has increased in recent years as a result of global warming and rapid urbanization, which has widened the habitat of mosquitoes that carry the virus, and the number of dengue fever cases in 2023 was the largest ever recorded globally.

Kao has been conducting unique research from an entirely new perspective to protect people from mosquitoes. In 2023, Kao developed a new technology that prevents mosquitoes from flying by wetting their wings and body surfaces, keeping them in a “knocked down” state. Because it does not use conventional chemically manufactured insecticidal components, this approach has the potential to contribute to a wider range of applications.