Scientists Discovered a Cheap and Effective Way to Prevent Transmission of Dengue Fever

Scientists in Australia say they have discovered a cheap and effective way to prevent transmission of dengue fever, which kills more than 12000 people a year. Writing in the journal Nature the researchers said they infected mosquitoes, which spread the disease, with bacterium that blocks development of the dengue virus.
When the resistant insects were released, they successfully interbred with wild mosquitoes and halted their ability to transmit dengue. The researchers are hopeful that this could be a viable control for Dengue that affects more than 50 million people all over the world every year.

According to the World Health Organization, around one third of the world's population is at risk from dengue fever. The incidence and severity of the dengue are increasing in many parts of the world. Pesticides that kill the specific type of mosquitoes that carry the virus have been the most effective method of control.  However,  the resistance to this method is rising.

Now a team of Australian scientists say that a simple bacterium called Wolbachia that only infects insects could prevent dengue in its tracks. Within months, a wave of infection by the bacterium had spread to almost all the wild mosquitoes rendering them incapable of passing on dengue.

The data suggests that the presence of Wolbachia strengthens the immune system and helps the mosquito resist the effects of dengue. The researchers say that further experiments are required in nations like Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil and Indonesia where the disease is endemic.