The Biological Control Laboratory for the mosquito “Aedes aegypti“, transmitter of diseases such as dengue, chinkungunya and zika was inaugurated in Yucatán.
What is intended is to avoid the reproduction of the species, specialists infect male mosquitoes with a bacterium called “Wolbachia” and then release them to spread the bacteria among the mosquito population.
In this particular case this includes a laboratory that massively breeds mosquitoes until they reach the capacity of three million mosquito males a week. The technique is based on releasing male mosquitoes that do not sting and transmit diseases that mate with female mosquitoes and the offspring is unviable” explained Pablo Manrique, a researcher at the Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY).
Yucatan is one of the states where this vector reproduces due to the climatological conditions and humidity.
“A strain of local mosquitoes carrying the bacteria is already established in the region ” said Pablo Manrique, a researcher at the Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY).
Diseases such as dengue, chinkungunya and zika alert the population, so other strategies to combat “Aedes aegypti” are sought.
“Although today we do not have as many dengue cases as we used to, that does not mean that we will not have more later. It is a fact that we are going to have another dengue epidemic at some point in time, it may happen during this administration or the next, and we have to be prepared, not only with fumigation and collection of pots, we have to look for other options, among those options is this one” said Jorge Mendoza Mezquita, secretary of the Ministry of Health of Yucatan (SSY).
“In recent years, these diseases have taken many lives in the state, so new strategies had to be created”, Mendoza Mezquita added.
This project is being carried out in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Yucatan, the University of Michigan and health authorities, the inauguration of the laboratory was headed by the governor of the state, Rolando Zapata Bello.
Source: excelsior.com.mx
