Potential larvicidal action of Indian lilac and Neem kernels against dengue mosquito

The incidence of dengue fever (DF) has increased dramatically over the last decade. It has become endemic in more than 100 countries and more than 2.5 billion people are at risk, mainly in Africa, the Americas, the western Mediterranean, South and East Asia and the west Pacific. Ethanolic extracts from the kernels of ripe fruits from the Indian lilac, Melia azedarach Linn. (Hindi ⎯ Bakain, Drek) and from the well-known Neem tree, Azadirachta indica A. Juss. were assayed against larvae of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito vector of dengue fever by scientists of Belgium and Japan. The lethality bioassays were carried out according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization. Extracts were tested at doses ranging from 0.0033 to 0.05g% in an