Mozzie trial stops dengue spreading
AN INNOVATIVE world- first mosquito program run in Townsville has stopped dengue fever in its tracks.
Monash University’s World Mosquito Program used “biocontrol technology” to stop the mosquito- borne disease in the city.
Wolbachia mosquitoes were deployed in Townsville as part of the research program.
World Mosquito Program director and lead author Professor Scott O’Neill said there had been no locally transmitted dengue during the last four rainy seasons since Wolbachia was established in the targeted release area.
“This compares with previous years when locally acquired dengue cases have been a continuing problem,” he said.
Wolbachia is a naturally occurring bacteria and was introduced into aedes aegypti mosquitoes, reducing their ability to transmit dengue, zika and chikungunya.
Once male and female wolbachia- carrying mosquitoes are released, they breed with local mosquitoes, passing on the ability to block these harm- ful viruses. Professor O’Neill said the study confirmed they were on track to advance large city deployments.
“At a cost of around $ 15 per person, the Townsville trial demonstrates the approach can be rolled out quickly, efficiently and cost effectively to help provide communities ongoing protection from mosquito- borne diseases,” he said.
Professor O’Neill said the program laid the foundation for future deployments in larger cities. The researchers are trying to reduce the cost to US$ 1 per person.
The paper, published yesterday, revealed the release of Wolbachia carrying mosquitoes was acceptable to communities, Professor O’Neill said.
“We always value the community’s input and have developed a public acceptance model that proved highly effective in ensuring community awareness and acceptance of the mosquito deployment program in Townsville,” he said.
“We believe our approach will be suitable for other cities, with appropriate local adaptation, and provides a framework for scaling up our deployment globally.”
The trial started in Townsville in 2014 and since then the program has expanded to 11 countries throughout the world.