Natural insecticides from plant origin against mosquito vectors have been the main concern for research due to their high level of eco-safety. Control of mosquitoes in their larval stages are an ideal method since Aedes larvae are aquatic, thus it is easier to deal with them in this habitat. The present study was specifically conducted to explore the larvicidal efficacy of different plant parts of Ipomoea cairica (L.) or railway creeper crude extract obtained using two different solvents; methanol and acetone against late third-stage larvae of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae). Plant materials of I. cairica leaf, flower, and stem were segregated, airdried, powdered, and extracted using Soxhlet apparatus. Larvicidal bioassays were performed by using World Health Organization standard larval susceptibility test method for each species which were conducted separately for different concentration ranging from 10 to 450 ppm. Both acetone and methanol extracts showed 100% mortality at highest concentration tested (450 ppm) after 24 h of exposure. Results from factorial ANOVA indicated that there were significant differences in larvicidal effects between mosquito species, solvent used and plant parts ( F  = 5.71, df = 2, P  < 0.05). The acetone extract of I. cairica leaf showed the most effective larvicidal action in Ae. aegypti with LC 50 of 101.94 ppm followed by Ae. albopictus with LC 50 of 105.59 ppm compared with other fractions of I. cairica extract obtained from flower, stem, and when methanol are used as solvent. The larvae of Ae. aegypti appeared to be more susceptible to I. cairica extract with lower LC 50 value compared with Ae. albopictus ( F  = 8.83, df = 1, P  < 0.05). Therefore, this study suggests that the acetone extract of I. cairica leaf can be considered as plant-derived insecticide for the control of Aedes mosquitoes. This study quantified the larvicidal property of I. cairica extract, providing information on lethal concentration that may have potential for a more eco-friendly Aedes mosquito control program.

The massive flood in Malaysia's east coast in December 2014 has placed Kelantan in a possible dengue outbreak risk. At this point, community awareness is essential in preventing disease spread. However, no data on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of dengue in Kelantan have existed in relevance to flood disaster, although such information is necessary for the vector control programs. The purpose of this study is to assess the KAP regarding dengue among school children from flooded and unflooded areas and to evaluate the effectiveness of the dengue health education program in improving their KAP level. A schoolbased pre-and post-tests design was utilized in this study whereby a booklet on dengue was distributed during the interphase of the tests. The information collected was on the socio-demographic, KAP and the source of dengue information. We statistically compared the KAP between the two study sites and the pre-and post-test scores to evaluate the health education program. A total of 203 students participated in the survey, and 51.7% of them were flood victims. When comparing the baseline KAP, the respondents from the unflooded area had higher knowledge scores compared to those from the flooded area (P<0.05), while non-significant differences were observed in the attitude and practice between the two study areas (P>0.05). The health education program significantly improved knowledge and practice in the flooded area and knowledge only in the unflooded area (P<0.05). The multinomial regression analysis suggests that age and dengue history are the primary determinants that influence the high practice level in both areas. We suggest the need to increase routine dengue health education programs to all age groups targeting both high and low dengue risk areas, and the necessity to ensure the translation of positive knowledge and attitude changes into real dengue preventive practices.