Repellency Test of Wet Tissue Containing DEET (N,N-diethyl- 3-metatoluamide) and Citronella Oil (Cymbopogon Citratus) Againts Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes

Dengue hemorrhagic fever has been one of the major health problems in Indonesia. As the disease spreads out by Aedes aegypti, a variety of ways has been conducted to disconnect host, agent, and the environment chain including prevention of human contact with the vector using by various repellents.The present test compared the complete protection time of N,N-diethyl- 3-metatoluamide (DEET) and citronella oil impregnated in wet tissue against Aedes aegypti. For this test, an ethanol-based 12.5% DEET and 20% citronella oil were prepared, into which dry tissue papers were immersed, drain in open air, and then stored in aluminum foil packs for one day and one week. Meanwhile, a number of disease-free adult female Aedes aegypti were placed in mosquito cages. The prepared one-day and oneweek stored wet tissues were used to swab volunteer adult human hands (from elbow to wrist) which were then inserted into the mosquito cage in three replicates (25 mosquitoes each cage). Elapsed time from first hand insertion to the first mosquito bite was calculated and expressed as repellency time of the impregnated repellent. It was found that the average repellency times of one-day stored 12.5% DEET and 20% citronella oil wet tissues were 4 hour 26 minutes and 14.24 minutes, respectively, while for oneweek stored were 4 hour 6 minutes and 12.57 minutes, respectively. Post Hoc test showed that the repellency time difference between one-day and one-week storage was not statistically significance (p = 0.524 for DEET and p = 0.681 for citronella oil)