Kite Patch: A tiny secret weapon to battle an even tinier foe

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Scientists have developed a secret weapon and solution to battle the world's tiniest enemy: The mosquito.

With support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and an enormous outpouring of online donations through Indiegogo, Olfactor Labs have discovered a unique way to disable the mosquito's ability to track their red-blooded victims.

They call it the Kite Patch. The product is a tiny patch that sticks to your clothes and provides mosquito relief for up to 48 hours. The patch could quickly become a major deterrent in the fight against mosquito-carrying diseases like malaria, which claim more than 600,000 lives a year in places like Africa, Asia and South America.

The product uses non-toxic chemicals that target the CO2 receptors of the tiny blood sucker, confusing the bugs and making you practically invisible to mosquitoes.

Here in Southern California, there has been a rise in reports of West Nile Virus. Health officials have identified 13 human cases this year alone, with one death. A product like the Kite Patch could be the summer relief that you've been looking for.

On a special assignment, ABC7 intern Zach Cumer talks to the bright minds behind the biting new discovery.

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