Captive Bred Mosquito Prevents Dengue Outbreak

The Australian researchers from the Monash University have taken a step forward to eradicate the deadly disease of dengue from its roots by implementing a unique procedure. They also stated that they have been able to succeed in the endeavor of protecting the city of Townsville from the disease.

Captive-bred forms of mosquitoes, which have a natural bacterium, were released in the city. These mated with the local mosquitoes to produce the exemplary outcomes. The researchers have been successful in spreading the bacteria of Wolbachia, which is known to restrict the transmission of the dengue fever. As a result of this procedure, the city has been free of the disease since 2014.

These researchers are also hopeful regarding the eradication of the other mosquito-borne ailments like malaria and zika.

Director of the World Mosquito Program, Scott O’Neil stated that the efforts bestowed by the team were failing to eradicate the disease. However, the latest endeavor has been successful in erasing the disease from the surface of the city.

The new breed of the mosquitoes was released in the Queensland topical town, which consists of 187,000 people. The experiment was continued over the period of four monsoons, which finally produced a remarkable outcome.

The Townsville trial was conducted in exchange for the expense of A$15 or £8.50 per person. Professor Scott O’Neil also stated that the approach was accomplished in a successful manner as it could implement the positive outcomes in a short span of time. The researchers are also looking forward to implementing the program in the remote and poor areas of the world in a more cost-efficient manner so that the disease caused due to mosquitoes can be controlled effectively. They have also targeted to cut the cost to US$1 or 75p a person. The team will now target Yogyakarta, Indonesia, which has the strength of 390,000 people.