More anti-dengue mosquitoes released in Vietnam

 

Khanh Hoa (VNA) – Mosquitoes
infected with Wolbachia – a type of bacteria with the potential to
prevent the spread of dengue fever –were released in Vinh Luong commune in the
central province of ’s Nha Trang city on March 6.

This is the first time that these
anti-dengue mosquitoes have been released in mainland Vietnam, following
the success of a previous release on Tri Nguyen island in 2014.

The mosquitoes will continue to be released in eight
villages in the commune over the next 12-18 weeks, 100 per week.

This is the result of a project on eliminating
in Vietnam, jointly implemented by domestic health institutes and
Australian experts.

Dang Duc Anh, Director of the National Institute
of Hygiene and Epidemiology, said this method will help control dengue fever,
not only in the commune but also at other localities in the country.

Wolbachia are natural bacteria present in up to
60 percent of insect species, including some mosquitoes. When implanted into
mosquitoes, they have the ability to inhibit the development of the dengue
virus, Zika virus, and some other viruses that are transmitted through
mosquitoes.-VNA