Why corpn babus will visit Singapore’s mosquito lab
Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com
Chennai:29.01.2020
Greater Chennai Corporation officials will be visiting Singapore to study a ‘mosquito laboratory’ in a bid to contain the spread of dengue.
Singapore has successfully bred male mosquitoes in controlled laboratory conditions and injected them with the Wolbachia strain of bacteria. The mosquitoes are released in the surroundings. When infected mosquitoes mate with the females, the embryos formed die. In effect, the male mosquitoes are rendered sterile by the bacteria.
Over a period of time, this can gradually bring down the number of the mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus, thereby reducing the spread of dengue, said a senior official. There are published studies documenting this, he said.
In Tuesday’s review meeting, corporation commissioner G Prakash briefed local bodies minister S P Velumani on the steps taken by Singapore. Prakash informed the minister about the civic body’s plan to conduct a study tour.
While Velumani is understood to have given the green signal, he said the conditions and landscape in Singapore was different. Spread of dengue is dependent on conditions like how water is stored and the extent of urban planning whichimpacts mosquitobehaviour, a source said.
The officials are likely to conduct a study of how the mosquito colonies are reared, how the eggs are produced and the male mosquitoes are maintained.
B Dhanraj, retired chief vector control officer of the corporation, told TOI that in principle the idea worked but there would be practical difficulties in executing it.
“Singapore is an island, where the sterile male mosquitoes will mate with wild females. However, Chennai is an open place and there are many wild males which may come along with migrants coming on bus or train from nearby towns or districts,” Dhanraj said. However, there was no harm in conducting a trial and gauge its success. “Since we are going against nature, rate of success will depend on many factors,” he said.
Dhanraj recalled how in 70s, chemo-sterile mosquitoes were released in Delhi but faced a public backlash when the mosquitoes were released. “It was because the residents had not been informed and educated about the process and benefits it would give,” he said.
Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com
Chennai:29.01.2020
Greater Chennai Corporation officials will be visiting Singapore to study a ‘mosquito laboratory’ in a bid to contain the spread of dengue.
Singapore has successfully bred male mosquitoes in controlled laboratory conditions and injected them with the Wolbachia strain of bacteria. The mosquitoes are released in the surroundings. When infected mosquitoes mate with the females, the embryos formed die. In effect, the male mosquitoes are rendered sterile by the bacteria.
Over a period of time, this can gradually bring down the number of the mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus, thereby reducing the spread of dengue, said a senior official. There are published studies documenting this, he said.
In Tuesday’s review meeting, corporation commissioner G Prakash briefed local bodies minister S P Velumani on the steps taken by Singapore. Prakash informed the minister about the civic body’s plan to conduct a study tour.
While Velumani is understood to have given the green signal, he said the conditions and landscape in Singapore was different. Spread of dengue is dependent on conditions like how water is stored and the extent of urban planning whichimpacts mosquitobehaviour, a source said.
The officials are likely to conduct a study of how the mosquito colonies are reared, how the eggs are produced and the male mosquitoes are maintained.
B Dhanraj, retired chief vector control officer of the corporation, told TOI that in principle the idea worked but there would be practical difficulties in executing it.
“Singapore is an island, where the sterile male mosquitoes will mate with wild females. However, Chennai is an open place and there are many wild males which may come along with migrants coming on bus or train from nearby towns or districts,” Dhanraj said. However, there was no harm in conducting a trial and gauge its success. “Since we are going against nature, rate of success will depend on many factors,” he said.
Dhanraj recalled how in 70s, chemo-sterile mosquitoes were released in Delhi but faced a public backlash when the mosquitoes were released. “It was because the residents had not been informed and educated about the process and benefits it would give,” he said.
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