Mosquitoes act as vectors for key parasites and pathogens, including malaria, filariasis, dengue and Zika virus.

We review knowledge about botanical mosquito repellents used by African natives.

Native inhabitants of African regions traditionally use 64 plants, belonging to 30 families.

Tools include smoke from burning plants, hanging plants inside houses and crushed plant parts applied on the body.

Studies focused on a small part of Africa, further research to preserve the knowledge of native tribes is needed.