Eliminating Dengue
Find out how mosquitos are being infected with bacteria that stops them from carrying the virus.
Around 2.5 billion people worldwide are at risk from dengue fever – a virus spread by mosquitos which causes excruciating headaches, muscle and joint pain.
It is usually associated with the tropics of South East Asia and Africa, but as recently as 2009, there was a major outbreak in the Australian city of Cairns.
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At the city’s James Cook University, a team led by Professor Scott Ritchie is working on a new strategy for tackling dengue.
So, rather than immunising the human population against the disease, the mosquitoes are infected with bacteria that block their ability to carry the virus.
These mosquitos are then released into the wild to breed, passing on the bacteria in the process and preventing future generations from carrying the virus.
Tamara Sheward of The Cure meets Professor Ritchie to find out how the latest trials are progressing.
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Published On 4 Jun 2013