The Zika virus is a top concern for both health officials and regular people as we enter the summer mosquito season. Could LED lights be a solution to preventing the spread of the virus?
It seems like each year there’s a new global health scare that sweeps the media and causes worldwide panic. This year, news of the mosquito-borne Zika virus has taken over airwaves and front pages all over the world due to its connection with the debilitating birth defect microcephaly.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 4 billion people are at risk of contracting mosquito-borne infections, and it sometimes seem like the only solution is to blanket at-risk areas in pesticides and bug sprays. But could LED lights provide a safer, more effective way to ward off mosquitos and prevent Zika?
Enter Lighting Science Group, a company based in Florida specializing in applying LED technology to real world problems. Lighting Science Group is part of the field of research that works to control pests and harmful insect-borne diseases through the use of LED light. According to Fortune, the Lighting Science Group has developed LEDs that can disinfect water, help baby sea turtles reach the ocean after hatching, and keep astronauts alert while orbiting space. Now, their focus is creating the perfect light to both attract and distract insects.
This spring, the company began testing its newly developed LED-based bug traps. The traps work by emitting different wavelengths of light which are attractive to different types of mosquitos. Once the company is able to pinpoint which type of light the Zika-bearing breed of mosquitos (Aedes aegypti) are attracted to, they will begin testing their invention in the field. The company hopes to release models to the public within the year.
Though this potential solution is still months away, and won’t be ready in time for this summer’s mosquito bite season, the developments that Lighting Science Group is making today with LEDs are sure to help populations struggling with mosquito related diseases for generations to come.
