Several Latin American countries continue to be on alert over the swine flu such as Argentina and Peru. Yet that shouldn’t take away from the need to combat an even deadlier disease affecting the region: dengue fever.Brazilian health officials reported yesterday that the number of dengue fever cases this year fell by 50% compared to last year and the number of deaths dropped by 70%. Yet 131 Brazilians died from the dengue compared to one confirmed fatality due to the H1N1 virus.
According to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council, climate change could lead to dengue fever spreading throughout the U.S. as more disease-carrying mosquitoes adapt to colder climates. Urbanization, climate change, and expanding global commerce are factors leading to the boost in dengue fever including more cases in Mexico and a possible threat to Puerto Rico.
Researchers are looking into a possible solution though it will likely be a controversial one: genetically modified mosquitoes.
A new strategy involves a subtle reconfiguring of the bug's DNA. Scientists working in labs near Oxford have devised a genetic modification that sterilizes the male Aedes, transforming the critter into his own worst enemy. He can still mate—but he can't breed. Any offspring dies before becoming fully developed. The idea is to release a huge, all-conquering swarm of the doctored insects into the wild, let them find partners among the native females and wait for the mosquito population to decline. Preliminary trials, looking at both safety and effectiveness, have already taken place in Malaysia. Within a few years, the Franken-insects could be airborne.Image- BBC
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Newsweek, Miami Herald, NASDAQ, Reuters, Bernama
...The USDA has been using the sterile male approach to the screwworm fly for years, radiating the young males, and then releasing them by the millions from airplanes. The strategy has eradicated screwworm from North and Central America completely.
ReplyDeleteDon't know if aedes could stand up to the radiation/air release methodology, but if they could, it might help, as long as you got a number of countries to cooperate at the same time...
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ReplyDeleteDengue fever considered as a killer. It can really kill lots of lives.It really became severe quickly so we have to be careful. To determine whether a person has a dengue, elisa kits can be used.
ReplyDeleteDengue is very deadly. One way of preventing it is to avoid storing stagnant water near/in your houses.
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