India Could Use These Specially-Bred Mosquitoes That Can Prevent The Spread Of Dengue In An Entire City!

While we¡¯re still in the midst of dengue season the damage caused by the vector-borne disease this year is yet to be established. We can, however, tell you that it wouldn¡¯t be a small toll, considering the number of cases it has raked up in the past.

To give you a perspective of the magnitude of damage dengue can cause

Last year, India in 2017 has seen 11,832 more cases of dengue compared with 2016, and the number of deaths from the vector-borne disease has been recorded at 46, eleven more than last year. In fact, in 2015 a total of 99,913 and 220 deaths across 35 states were reported by WHO.

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According to the Directorate of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), till July 30, 2016, the total dengue cases in the country were 16,870 while for the same period in 2017 they numbered 28,702. The last one week alone saw 2,536 cases with 10 deaths.

As the fastest growing mosquito-borne disease across the world, dengue causes nearly 400 million infections every year. Dengue has spread from a handful of countries to become an endemic that spans across 128 countries, in the past 50 years, increasing by 30-fold during this time period.

What¡¯s the solution? Apart from the typical measure that the government may or may take here¡¯s the most recent one that holds a lot of promise.

Reuters

In a first, Australian researchers have successfully protected an entire city from dengue outbreaks by deploying captive-bred mosquitoes that are unable to spread the deadly virus.

Mosquitoes bred to carry naturally-occurring Wolbachia bacteria, which prevents the transmission of viruses, were let loose over 66 square kilometres of Townsville, Queensland in places where they could naturally breed.

In four years since the mosquitoes were introduced, no new cases of dengue have been reported in the area.

Reuters

"We're wanting to have a really major impact on disease. For dengue and Zika nothing's working at the moment for control. There's evidence of a growing disease burden and there was the big Zika pandemic that stripped through the Americas recently and the rest of the world," said Scott O'Neill, director of the World Mosquito Program at Monash University in Australia.

"I think we've got something here that's going to have a significant impact and I think this study is the first indication that it's looking very promising," O'Neill told 'The Guardian'.

Researchers are now conducting a randomized controlled trial in Indonesia. In Brazil, mosquitoes have been introduced in Rio de Janeiro, with the hopes of countering Zika virus outbreaks.

Reuter

The land area covered in Rio is twice that of Townsville and the population six times as great, with more than 1.5 million people.

"Rio is one of the hardest places to work in. If we can be successful in Rio we can probably be successful anywhere in the world," O'Neill said.

In the long run, if Wolbachia does prove safe and effective, scientists may attempt its use against malaria.

Reuters

India could do with introducing these specially-bred mosquitoes in cities, areas and districts.

Delhi itself has found mosquito breeding in 77,272 households till August 4 this year. Water stagnation on the roads as well as water contained in large apparatuses like water coolers leaves citizens to the mercy of mosquito infestation.

The Pune Municipal Corporation is tightening the screws on thousands of properties found facilitating mosquito breeding in the city. About 10 multiplexes, 19 malls and 264 construction sites feature on the list of establishments found at fault.

The list also includes 553 housing societies spread over 15 ward offices, according to the ongoing entomological survey being carried out by the health department of Pune Municipal Corporation.

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In a country where countermeasures against the spread of mosquito infestation are not half as effective as the magnitude of the problem, this seems like one of the best viable solutions to date.