With coronavirus cases around the world now at over 23 million, scientists have been working around the clock to develop a treatment.
Now, a new study, first reported by Sky News, indicates that a product found in basic insect repellent may be the key to protecting us from Covid-19.
Scientists from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) have shown that a product called Citriodiol can kill the virus.
The product is made from oil from the eucalyptus citriodora tree, and can be found in several popular insect repellents, including Mosi Guard.
Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said: “Dstl’s latest research shows that sprays containing Citriodiol, which have been made available to MOD units engaged in the Covid response, can kill the virus.
“We are sharing our preliminary findings today so others can take forward additional research to confirm and expand on our findings.”
DSTL carried out two experiments to show the effects of Citriodiol against the coronavirus.
In the first experiment, scientists assessed the anti-viral activity of the Mosi Guard insect repellent when applied directly to the virus as a liquid drop.
The results revealed that Mosi Guard could protect against SARS-CoV-2 if mixed with the virus.
The second experiment looked at the effects of Mosi Guard when it was applied to latex ‘synthetic skin’.
Again, the results showed that Mosi-Guard had antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 on latex skin.
While the reason for these effects remain unclear, DSTL hopes that the findings will encourage other scientists to look into the protective effects of Citriodiol.
Mr Quin added: “Defence has played a wide variety of roles in supporting efforts to tackle coronavirus. We are pleased that this is another example of Defence sourcing innovative ways to keep people safe.”
