Innovative ways of mosquito control needed

The fight against the Aedes aegypti mosquito has been a long one for the region of the Americas. For years now, dengue has affected the region. The recent outbreak of chikungunya and now zika virus has once again ignited the debate on the control and the elimination of mosquitoes from the region.

In my article last week, I gave examples of the number of deaths occurring from mosquitoes in the world and highlighted that mosquitoes kill more people than animals that are often feared.{{more}} Mosquito borne diseases like malaria, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever and zika have placed significant burden on the public health systems of developing countries.

As we respond to these outbreaks of mosquito borne diseases, generally a two-pronged approach is often considered. Vector control and health promotion have been the key approaches that have been traditionally employed. However, it may appear as if the traditional way of responding is not working and we may have to look for new and innovative ways to fight against mosquito borne diseases in the region.

Health promotion focuses on educating the population about the diseases and what measures should be employed to protect themselves from being bitten from mosquitoes and contracting the diseases. However, most of us, if not all of us, know everything that health promotion has been preaching. If we are empowered with this information, why then are we not seeing any progress? It appears as if we may need to move away from just giving information and try to see how we can change behaviour. Of course, behaviour change is very difficult, but not impossible. Our attitude has always been one of a reactive nature. Unfortunately, it is only during an outbreak that the level of response and consciousness is raised. We need to change behaviour. We need to live every day preventing the breeding of mosquitoes, instead of waiting for an outbreak to look for and destroy mosquito breeding sites. We should automatically know that if we discard containers that accumulate water, mosquitoes will breed. Our school system and the family system need to teach the new generation the importance of protecting the environment. We need to play a part and not depend on ministries and other organizations to be the sole players in keeping our surroundings clean.

Secondly, vector control measures that have been employed must be reexamined and innovative ways of mosquito control must be examined and adapted. I am not saying that the current methods of vector control are not working, but clearly the mosquitoes are having an upper hand and are multiplying faster than we can kill them.

An organization called Oxitec has developed a new technology for mosquito control. Oxitec uses advanced genetics to insert a self-limiting gene into its mosquitoes. The gene is passed on to the modified insect’s offspring, so when Oxitec mosquitoes are released into the wild and mate with wild females, their offspring inherit the self-limiting trait. The resulting offspring will die before reaching adulthood and the local mosquito population will decline.

Another innovation is that developed by Professor O’Neill at Monash University in Australia, where he has inserted Wolbachia bacteria into aedes mosquitoes. If they are present in the mosquitoes, they cannot become a carrier of a wide range of dangerous pathogens, including dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and zika. And when they breed, they pass the Wolbachia bacteria to their offspring, and they also cannot carry those diseases.

There are many other technologies that are being developed and many more that are being tested. It is time for us to examine these and see if they may be useful in our fight against this vector. Of course, some of these carry risks, but their risk assessment must be assessed before any implementation and a risk vs benefit assessment must be done. I am in no way saying that we should forget about the traditional methods, but maybe an integrated approach can help us to win this battle.

Dr Rosmond Adams is a medical doctor and a public health specialist. He may be emailed at adamsrosmond@gmail.com