This is the Official Announcement of #OperationMosquito
Before we get into the goal of Operation Mosquito, let's briefly discuss Malaria and the serious effects it has. Many of you may know what it is, others may not.
According to the Center for Disease Control:
Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito which feeds on humans. People who get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness.
The Nigeria Malaria Fact Sheet identifies Malaria as the "2nd leading cause of death from infectious diseases in Africa". However, it is the leading cause of death from infectious diseases in Nigeria. There are over 300,000 deaths per year in Nigeria from Malaria and over 97% of the population is at risk of contracting the disease.
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What is Operation Mosquito?
Operation Mosquito will initially attempt to minimize the repeated contraction of Malaria by 
The end goal is to test which items work and to periodically send packages of the items known to work. Eventually,
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From my end, there will be story posts of the herbal mixtures and how often they should be given during the actual stages of Malaria to alleviate the symptoms and posts on how the herbs can be taken to increase a person's immunity to prevent Malaria.
With the help of some green thumbed Steemians(volunteers anyone?), we can help
There will also be a physical binder created with the herbal information. Additional pages of information will periodically be sent to update her binder so she can have the information to refer to in one location.
How Can You Help?
This is where the power of Steemit will show its true potential!
- Through your upvotes, resteems, and donations; we hope to raise funds to get this project off to a running start. Liquid payouts from posts using the #OperationMosquito Tag will be used to fund this project. Also, $200 of my personal funds will be used to help kickstart this project.
- Your expertise in gardening can also be utilized, should it be needed.
- In the future, trusted Steemians from landlocked countries would be helpful to send items to help reduce shipping costs.
Eventually, it would be great for other Nigerians to volunteer to be a hub for distribution of items and instruction on proper use of the items distributed.
The Nigerians who volunteer will receive an initial package to increase their likelihood of not contracting Malaria because we need them healthy in order to aid their fellow country-persons in Malaria prevention and to share about Steemit!
Can you envision how HUGE this can become? Not only will be sharing about Steemit but more importantly, we will be doing our part to change the world!
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You Thought This Post Was Over?
If you've made it far...Thank you. This is a project that has been thought out for quite a while and a lot of research has already been put into it. We have managed to overcome some logistical challenges to help reduce costs for items being sent by utilizing a Nigerian e-commerce site with a United States based Bank Card. A test package is currently in the process of transit!
There will still be items that need to be sent from the United States but eventually, it would be very helpful(as I mentioned above) for other Steemians to be able to send items not available on Jumia.com.ng( and eventually Shopnow.ng).
The rest of this post will be utilized to show the items that are planned on being sent and the shipping costs associated, to give you an idea of the costs associated with the project. Most of the items that do not have shipping charges annotated will be shipped by Jumia. While there are still shipping costs, most will be combined shipping and will receive a shipping discount.
Factory Produced Items
- Burgess 1443 Propane Insect Fogger $59
- Black Flag 190255 Fogging Insecticide to Control Mosquitoes and Biting Flies Outdoors, 32-Ounce X 2, $19.74
These two items receive a discount on shipping when combined. The shipping, import fee deposit, and item costs total $163.64. The propane cannot be shipped internationally. It will have to be acquired on the ground. This is the largest expense item and I have the funds to personally pay for these items if I need to.
- Universal Magnet Insecticidal Mosquito Net, $2.54 USD. This item is recommended by the World Health Organization.
- Generic 2-in-1 Zapper And Lantern Light Switch LED Solar Powered Garden Path Light With Electronic Mosquito Zapper Function, $10.99 USD. This is a test product. Want to see how long it lasts and if the solar powered zapper is worth the price.
- CUTTER Cutter Citronella Candle 30 Hours - Bucket (Red), $13.35 USD
- Generic 100 X 210CM Magnetic Door Anti-mosquito Screen Magnet Mesh Net Curtain - Black, $11.79 USD
- Magideal 2x Black Insect Mosquito Fly Bug Window Mesh Net Netting W/ Sticky Tape, $7.63 USD
- Universal 3M Respirator, 18.44
Subtotal for this section(some items without shipping): $ 228.38 USD
Essential Oils
These oils have been shown to repel mosquitoes when applied directly on the skin from studies published in the Malaria Journal. Some as high as 100% repel rate! Multiple oils will be sent to test and ultimately settle on one type.
- HEMANI Citronella Oil(up to 100% protection rate), $3.59 USD
- JULES Thyme Essential Oil(up to 97% protection rate), $9.38 USD
- HEMANI Sage Oil( up to 95% protection rate), $4.77
Subtotal of oils(without shipping) $17.74 USD
Seeds for planting to repel mosquitoes.
There were two studies (1,2) used to research which seeds to send to grow into plants/herbs that repel mosquitoes. There are varying repel rates depending on if the plants are touched, heated, or even burned. There will be a story post that goes deeper into this. All seeds have been researched to ensure they are not invasive to Nigeria.
- Holy Basil Seeds, $5.69 USD(Must be sent from USA).
- Catnip Seeds, $6.99 USD (Must be sent from USA).
- African Blue Basil Seeds, $5.25 USD (Must be sent from USA).
- Lemongrass Seeds, $1.96 USD (Must be sent from USA).
- Thyme Seeds, $4.59 USD (Must be sent from USA).
Subtotal of seeds(without shipping) $24.48 USD
Herbs to help with Malaria symptoms or increase immunity to Malaria
This section will require story posts for the required recipes. However, these are the main ingredients for each. Research used:1,2,3,4
- Holy Basil (included above) Protects damaged blood cells and has antibacterial properties to alleviate Malaria symptoms(to include fever). Can also be taken regularly to prevent Malaria.
- Cinnamon(test package in transit).Help alleviate symptoms of Malaria like loss of appetite, nausea, indigestion, cramps, and spasms.
- Swanson Ginger Root, $10.27. Helps to speed up recovery and increases immune system.
- Organic, Raw Honey, 23.63. Used in many of the recipes and may even increase the likelihood of success when dealing with drug resistant Malaria.
- Bitter Aloe seeds. $ 6.95. Must be grown into a plant and a match-sized amount taken regularly to prevent Malaria.
Subtotal of Prevention and Symptom Treatment $40.85
Malaria Cure
The Nigerian government banned chloroquine and artemisinin monotherapy and instead wants chloroquine or artemisinin based combination therapy. This made me concerned about the Qinghao(Wormwood) Chinese Herb that I had been researching because the main chemical component is Artemisinin.
After hours of research(it's the reason this post is a day late) the product listed below contains a combination ingredient(Lumafetrine) as recommended by the Malaria Consortium. The Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Control product registration number can be found here.
- Kedi Healthcare Qinghao Capsule, $8.90.
We must be responsible when using this medicine as we don't want to go around treating unconfirmed Malaria cases.
Subtotal for Malaria Cure $8.90(without shipping).
Grand Total All Categories: $320.35
Many of the products have negligible shipping charges when shipped from inside Nigeria. The most expensive shipping(not listed) will be the seeds from the United States.
Conclusion
This initial amount may seem relatively high. Please remember many of these products are to be tested. For example, there are multiple oils being tested to see what works. Eventually, this will be brought down to one oil in the "starter package" for new Steemians who join the cause after we get through this "research phase". Additionally, there has to a better way to send insecticide and quite possibly a more manual device to release the insecticide fog. The research for fumigation products will continue in order to find a way to reduce costs for this item. Also, many of the seed items contain plenty of seeds. This will allow for sharing of the seeds with other Nigerians so these plants can be grown in and around their homes to repel mosquitoes.
It is my estimate that we can get the starter package down to a cost of around $200.(maybe even more).
Remember this is a unique way to help the world and to spread the message of Steemit, which will help increase the monetary livelihood of Nigerians. A story posted by
So, I must ask...Who wants to help change the world?
It is very important to note, I am not a doctor nor trying to give medical advice. The information given is from various research sources. It is adviced you consult a doctor before trying any of the researched information given throughout Operation Mosquito