We will protect our people with what we have
In the Amazon region of Loreto, where dengue and malaria are not emergencies but constants, Peru's public health network EsSalud has turned to the land itself for protection — producing a gel repellent from lemongrass and mint to shield over 270,000 enrolled patients from mosquito-borne illness. The initiative, born from the pharmacy of Hospital III Iquitos, reflects a quiet but meaningful act of institutional self-reliance: rather than waiting for outside solutions, a health system chose to manufacture its own prevention using plants native to the very environment that harbors the threat. It is a reminder that sometimes the oldest knowledge, formalized and distributed with care, is the most enduring form of public health.
- Loreto lives under a permanent mosquito-borne threat — dengue and malaria are not seasonal crises here but year-round realities for a population of over 270,000 insured patients.
- The most vulnerable — hospitalized children, the elderly, the already ill — face the highest exposure inside and outside health facilities where mosquitoes breed and bite without pause.
- EsSalud's Hospital III Iquitos pharmacy has begun producing 500 units of a standardized, officially registered natural gel repellent made from lemongrass and mint essential oils.
- Distribution reaches across health centers in Punchana and San Juan and extends to any EsSalud patient regardless of why they sought care — a routine visit can now end with real protection.
- Production is set to continue indefinitely, because the threat will not relent — this is not a campaign but a permanent addition to the region's public health arsenal.
In Loreto, Peru's most mosquito-burdened region, dengue and malaria arrive not as emergencies but as seasons — predictable, persistent, and deadly. Against this backdrop, the pharmacy of Hospital III Iquitos has begun doing something both ancient and quietly radical: manufacturing its own mosquito repellent from lemongrass and mint, two plants that thrive in the same tropical climate that breeds the insects they repel.
The first 500 units, produced in 30-gram gel form, carry official health registration and meet full pharmaceutical standards. Dr. Luis Nonato, who leads the pharmacy, designed the formulation to harness the natural repellent properties of these essential oils — a local answer to a local problem. Rather than sourcing protection from outside suppliers, EsSalud chose to produce it from within, using regional knowledge and regional plants.
The initial batches will reach health centers in Punchana and San Juan, as well as patients already admitted to Hospital III Iquitos — precisely the people most at risk. But the reach extends further: any of the more than 270,000 patients enrolled in EsSalud across Loreto can request the repellent, whatever their reason for visiting. A child brought in for a fever. An adult attending a routine checkup. Each can leave with something that may prevent the next illness entirely.
Nonato was careful to note that current disease indicators remain stable — but stability in an endemic region is not safety, it is vigilance. Production will continue at a steady pace because the mosquitoes will not stop. What this initiative offers is not a cure, but something arguably more valuable in public health: the means to avoid infection before it begins, distributed freely, made locally, and rooted in centuries of botanical knowledge now given institutional form.
In the Loreto region of Peru, where dengue and malaria move through the population with the regularity of the seasons, the public health system has begun manufacturing its own defense: a gel repellent made from lemongrass and mint. The Hospital III Iquitos pharmacy, part of the EsSalud network, produced the first 500 units of the 30-gram gel formulation, each one containing essential oils extracted from plants that grow readily in the region's tropical climate.
Dr. Luis Nonato, who heads the pharmacy, explained that the repellent works by leveraging the natural properties of hierba luisa and mint to ward off the mosquitoes that carry both dengue and malaria. The oils are standardized in their formulation and carry official health registration, meaning they meet the same regulatory standards as any pharmaceutical product. The decision to manufacture locally rather than purchase from outside suppliers reflects both practical necessity and a recognition that Loreto faces an ongoing threat. The region is endemic for both diseases, meaning they are permanently present in the population, not occasional visitors.
The first batches will go to the health centers in Punchana and San Juan, as well as to patients already hospitalized at Hospital III Iquitos. The strategy is straightforward: reduce mosquito bites inside and outside health facilities, where vulnerable people—the very young, the very old, the already ill—are most at risk. Any patient covered by EsSalud can request the repellent, regardless of why they came to the clinic. A person visiting for a routine checkup can walk away with protection. A child admitted for another reason can receive it as part of their care.
Nonato emphasized that while current disease indicators remain under control, the region cannot afford complacency. The production will continue at a steady pace because the need will not disappear. Over 270,000 people are enrolled in the EsSalud system across Loreto, and each one lives in an environment where mosquitoes breed in standing water and bite at dawn and dusk. The repellent is not a cure. It is prevention—a way to avoid the illness altogether rather than treat it after infection.
What makes this initiative notable is not that it is revolutionary. Natural repellents have been used for centuries. What matters is that a public health institution, facing a persistent endemic threat and limited resources, has chosen to produce a preventive tool itself, using local knowledge and local plants, and to distribute it freely to everyone in its care. The mosquitoes will continue their work. But now, at least, the people of Loreto have something to push back with.
Citações Notáveis
Loreto is an endemic region and we must continuously strengthen preventive actions to protect our insured patients, both adults and children— Dr. Luis Nonato, head of pharmacy
We want our patients, both hospitalized and outpatient, to be protected— Dr. Luis Nonato
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did EsSalud decide to make their own repellent instead of buying it from a pharmaceutical company?
Loreto is endemic for dengue and malaria—these diseases don't leave. A commercial supply chain is expensive and unreliable. Making it locally, from plants that grow there, means they control the cost and the consistency. They can produce it continuously without waiting for shipments.
Is this repellent actually effective, or is it more symbolic?
The oils are standardized and registered with health authorities, so they meet real safety and efficacy standards. But you're right to sense the symbolic dimension. It's also a statement: we are not helpless. We have resources. We will protect our people with what we have.
Who benefits most from this—hospitalized patients or people in the community?
Both, but hospitalized patients first. They're already vulnerable. A dengue patient in a hospital bed cannot avoid mosquitoes on their own. The repellent gives them a layer of protection. But the real win is if it reaches the community clinics, where people can get it before they get sick.
What happens if production can't keep up with demand?
That's the unspoken tension. They made 500 units for a region of 270,000 people. That's a start, not a solution. The statement says production will be constant, but constant at what scale? That's the question no one answers yet.
Does this replace mosquito control efforts like spraying or removing breeding sites?
No. It's one layer. You still need to drain standing water, still need community education, still need surveillance. But if you're a parent in Iquitos, and you can get a free repellent that actually works, you use it. It's not either-or. It's both.