Smelly Socks Could Stop Malaria

Scent lures infected mosquitoes into traps
By Tim Karan,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 13, 2011 4:05 PM CDT
Smelly Socks Could Stop Malaria by Luring Mosquitoes Into Traps
Dirty socks could be an effective way to prevent malaria.   (Shutterstock)

Your smelly clothes hamper could soon save lives. Researchers in Tanzania are testing dirty socks as a way to prevent malaria, reports the Washington Post. The scent of the socks lure mosquitoes infected with the disease into traps, where they're poisoned and die. If it works, it'll provide a low-cost method to preventing malaria, which kills 900,000 people each year, notes Global Post.

“It’s a bold idea," says a physician. "Who would have thought there was a life-saving technology working in your laundry basket?” (More malaria stories.)

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