The first large-scale deployment of mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria, which makes them unable to transmit viruses, has stopped all outbreaks of dengue fever in a city in northern Australia for the last four years.

The success of the project in Townsville, Queensland, will encourage hopes that Wolbachia can provide a knockout blow against the Zika virus in Brazil as well, where the mosquitoes have been introduced into the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Until now, the technology has looked promising but has only been tried in small pilot projects around the world of 1 to 1.5 square km.

Townsville, however, with 187,000 inhabitants, is on a much larger scale. Mosquitoes specially bred to carry Wolbachia, which occurs naturally in up to 60% of insects, were let loose over 66 square kilometres of the city in places where they could naturally breed.

In four rainy seasons since the mosquitoes were introduced, dengue has ceased to be a problem in Townsville, which has had no cases of a disease that used to be troublesome.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Scott O’Neill, director of the World Mosquito Program at Monash University in Australia, who led the project. “After a long slog in my career in doing this, I think this is a piece of work I’m really quite proud of because it really shows we’ll be able to take this all the way, I think.

“We’re wanting to have a really major impact on disease. For dengue and Zika nothing’s working at the moment for control. There’s evidence of a growing disease burden and there was the big Zika pandemic that stripped through the Americas recently and the rest of the world.

“Nothing we’ve got is slowing these diseases down – they are getting worse. I think we’ve got something here that’s going to have a significant impact and I think this study is the first indication that it’s looking very promising.”

The people of Townsville accepted the project – and even took part in it, with schoolchildren releasing the mosquitos. Community ownership is important, said O’Neill. Communities involved in projects in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Medellin in Colombia, and Indonesia have all embraced the work, possibly because of the fear of the diseases they are trying to control, said O’Neill.

The results of the Townsville project are being published on the Gates Open Research site, set up by the programme’s biggest funder. The next big test will be in Yogyakarta in Indonesia, where O’Neill and colleagues are conducting a randomised controlled trial. This will compare areas of a city where Wolbachia mosquitos are introduced with other areas where they are not. They will track the disease burden in each and provide important scientific evidence as to efficacy.

The programme is now in 11 other countries. The land area covered in Rio is twice that of Townsville and the population six times as great, with more than 1.5 million people. “Rio is one of the hardest places to work in,” said Scott. “The favelas are quite a challenge. If we can be successful in Rio we can probably be successful anywhere in the world.”

The cost of the programme was AUD$15 (£8.50) per inhabitant in Townsville, but the team hope it can be made available for USD$1 (75p) each in cities in poorer parts of the world.

There does not appear to be an environmental downside to the release of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitos, he said, and he believes the technology is safe. “If there is one thing that keeps me up at night, it’s how long and how strongly the effect will last – whether there will be an attenuation over time,” he said. But there have been Wolbachia mosquitos in the field for seven years now and the effect does not appear to have waned yet.

In the long run, if Wolbachia does prove safe and effective, scientists may attempt its use against malaria. In 2016, there were 216 million cases of malaria worldwide and 445,000 deaths. “There is lab data showing this approach could be effective in malaria as well, but that is much further upstream,” said O’Neill. </s> Researchers are confident they've found a cost-effective and quick way for communities to protect themselves from mosquito-borne diseases.

Monash University says there hasn't been a single case of locally transmitted dengue fever in the past four rainy seasons in Townsville since mosquitoes carrying the Wolbachia bacteria were released in the north Queensland city.

The university's World Mosquito Program is investigating the practicality of using Wolbachia to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

It has developed technology which shows the ability of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to transmit diseases such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya is reduced when the naturally-occurring bacteria is introduced.

Mosquitoes carrying the bacteria pass on this ability after being introduced to local populations.

Program director Professor Scott O'Neill said the Townsville success showed the method was self-sustaining and cost-effective.

"At a cost of around $15 per person, the Townsville trial demonstrates the approach can be rolled out quickly, efficiently and cost effectively to help provide communities ongoing protection from mosquito-borne diseases," Professor O'Neill said.

The program now aims to deploy Wolbachia mosquitoes in larger cities around the world with a target of reducing the cost to just US$1 per person.

"Not only were communities accepting of the technology, but they also became active participants, with residents and local school students growing and releasing their own Wolbachia mosquitoes," Prof O'Neill said about the Townsville program.

"We believe our approach will be suitable for other cities, with appropriate local adaptation, and provides a framework for scaling-up our deployment, globally." </s> The first large-scale release of mosquitoes engineered to be incapable of transmitting diseases has proved successful in halting dengue fever outbreaks in a city in northern Australia. The mosquitos are infected with Wolbachia bacteria, a natural bacteria occurring in 60 percent of all insect species, that reduces their ability to transmit diseases to humans.

The project, which took place in Townsville, Queensland, involved the deployment of specially bred mosquitos across 66 kilometers of the city. Four rainy seasons have passed since their release and Townsville hasn’t seen a single case of dengue. The discovery has the potential to transform the fight against life-threatening mosquito-borne diseases, including the Zika virus and malaria, according to The Guardian.

Director of the World Mosquito Program at Monash University, Scott O’Neill, spoke to the success of the project, “I’m ecstatic. After a long slog in my career in doing this, I think this is a piece of work I’m really quite proud of because it really shows we’ll be able to take this all the way, I think.”

O’Neill added that the success of the Australian study may be the first indication that there is a solution for slowing down or halting mosquito-borne diseases, especially as previous efforts to do so have yet to make a major impact.

The project also saw large community participation, with schoolchildren involved in growing and releasing the mosquitos. The program has now spread to 11 other countries, with community projects taking place specifically in high-risk regions, including Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Medellin in Colombia, and Indonesia.

In Rio de Janeiro, mosquitos have been released in the hope of targeting and eliminating the Zika virus. The results look promising but the experiment has only been conducted in small areas of the city.

As of now, O’Neill is confident that the technology for creating Wolbachia-carrying mosquitos is safe and does not prove to have any downsides for the environment. The mosquitos have been in the field for seven years and the effects have not slowed down, providing hope that the solution is long-lasting.

The next big project will take place in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where O’Neill and his colleagues plan to conduct a randomized controlled trial to track the disease burden in areas with and without the presence of the Wolbachia-carrying mosquitos.

In the long run, the World Mosquito Program is aiming to use the mosquito technology to target other diseases, specifically malaria.

“There is lab data showing this approach could be effective in malaria as well, but that is much further upstream,” said O’Neill, as per The Guardian article. </s> Image copyright Peter Illiciev/Fiocruz Image caption The specially bred mosquitoes carry the bacteria Wolbachia which reduces the transmission of viruses

Australian researchers say for the first time an entire city has been protected from viral disease dengue.

Captive-bred mosquitoes with a naturally occurring bacteria were released in the city of Townsville, where they mated with local mosquitoes.

By spreading the bacteria Wolbachia, which hinders dengue transmission, the city has been dengue-free since 2014.

Researchers from Monash University also believe their work could stop mosquito-borne diseases Zika and malaria.

"Nothing we've got is slowing these diseases down - they are getting worse," said Scott O'Neill, director of the World Mosquito Program, quoted by the Guardian.

"I think we've got something here that's going to have a significant impact and I think this study is the first indication that it's looking very promising."

Over four monsoon seasons, researchers released the Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes across 66km sq (25 sq miles) in the Queensland tropical town of 187,000 people.

The community embraced the project, with even school children releasing the special mosquitoes that passed on their bacteria to the local population of mosquitoes.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The 'magic box' that could help beat malaria

They have published their results, calling the trial the first citywide success.

"At a cost of around A$15 (£8.50) per person, the Townsville trial demonstrates the approach can be rolled out quickly, efficiently and cost effectively to help provide communities ongoing protection from mosquito-borne diseases," Professor O'Neill said.

The programme is currently working in 11 countries and aims to deploy the Wolbachia mosquitoes in larger and poorer parts around the world with a target of reducing the cost to just US$1 (75p) per person.

The next step for the team is in Yogyakarta in Indonesia - a city of nearly 390,000 - where a randomised controlled trial is under way. </s> Brazilians lined up for hours to get yellow fever vaccinations, alarmed by the increase in the number of fatal cases of infection and a warning from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to tourists visiting parts of the country.

In Belo Horizonte, a city in the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais, people had to wait up to seven hours for a shot because health centres were not prepared for the surge in demand, a state spokesman said.

People were being turned away at some health centres in Minas Gerais and in the southeastern state Sao Paulo because vaccines and syringes had run out, Brazilian media reported.

The WHO said last week that Sao Paulo state, which includes South America's largest city, Sao Paulo, should be considered at risk for yellow fever and recommended foreign travellers get vaccinated before visiting.

But Brazil's Health Ministry said the recommendation, coming weeks before Carnival, an event for which thousands of tourists descend on Brazil, would not cause it to change its advisory that only travellers going to rural areas be vaccinated.

All known cases of infection were in rural areas. - REUTERS

Research carried out in part by a "robot scientist" with artificial intelligence (AI) has found that a common ingredient of toothpaste could be developed to fight strains of malaria.

In a study in the journal Scientific Reports, scientists from Britain's Cambridge University said the ingredient, triclosan, showed the potential to interrupt infections at two critical stages - in the liver and blood.

After being transferred into a host via a mosquito bite, malaria parasites work their way into the liver. They then move into red blood cells, multiply and spread, causing potentially life-threatening complications.

Scientists have known that triclosan can halt malaria parasites' growth at the blood stage by inhibiting the action of an enzyme known as enoyl reductase. In toothpaste, this helps prevent build-up of plaque bacteria.

In this latest work, scientists found that triclosan also inhibits a different enzyme of the parasite, called dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR).

This enzyme is the target of the antimalarial pyrimethamine - a drug to which the parasites are increasingly developing resistance. The Cambridge team's work showed that triclosan was able to target and act on DHFR even in drug-resistant parasites. - REUTERS

Depression and anxiety afflict Americans concerned with the fate of the environment, showed a study of the mental health effects of climate change.

Most hard-hit are women and people with low incomes who worry about the planet's long-term health, said the study published this week in the journal Global Environmental Change.

"Climate change is a persistent global stressor," said Sabrina Helm, lead author of the paper and professor of family and consumer sciences at the University of Arizona.

The study involved 342 online surveys of respondents whose views broadly reflect the wider US population, researchers said. - REUTERS </s> Researchers have developed a new weapon in the fight against malaria — a fungus genetically engineered using a gene found in the venom of an Australian spider.

Trials in Burkina Faso — a country with a high prevalence of malaria — found that a fungus, enhanced by the gene of the Australian Blue Mountains funnel web spider, killed large numbers of malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

During the trials, researchers reported a 99% collapse in mosquito populations.

Researchers from the University of Maryland and the Research Institute of Health Sciences in Burkina Faso genetically modified Metarhizium pingshaense, a fungus that is naturally fatal to mosquitoes, to increase its lethality.

The trials, which took place in a purpose-built habitat surrounded by mosquito netting, found that mosquitoes exposed to the toxin died faster than both unexposed insects and those exposed to the naturally occurring fungus.

Brian Lovett, an author of the study, published in the journal Science, told CNN: “Using this technology and applying it in the way that we are proposing, which is to target the mosquitoes that come into peoples houses, we would expect it to have a really large impact on mosquito populations, and to impact on disease transmission as a result.”

Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. An estimated 435,000 people die of malaria each year, but it is both preventable and treatable.

Data from the World Health Organization suggests malaria is making a comeback, with 219 million cases in 2017, compared with 217 million in 2016.

Numerous technologies and products have been developed to kill and stop the spread of mosquitoes, including chemical insecticides, but scientists are constantly competing with insecticide resistance in mosquitoes.

“A very big problem is that mosquito populations are huge and very widespread, and tend to be very strongly connected. Most of the control methods for many years have relied on chemical insecticides, and mosquitoes are very good at evolving resistance to insecticide. Resistance tends to spread very quickly, and problematic levels of resistance are occurring right throughout Africa,” said David Weetman, a senior lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine told CNN who was not involved in the research.

The method suggested by researchers at the University of Maryland is designed to be cheap and easy to implement, using only the fungus, cloth and locally produced sesame oil.

“We were looking for a way of very cheaply and easily providing the fungus, a way which citizens can do for themselves,” said Raymond St. Leger from the University of Maryland, one of the study’s authors.

The World Health Organization warned that cases of the disease are on the increase in the 10 worst-affected countries in Africa, with Nigeria, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of Congo reporting the highest estimated increases.

Most malaria cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, but those living in Southeast Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific and the Americas are also at risk.

Children under 5 years of age are particularly vulnerable to the disease — the WHO reported that in 2017, they accounted for 61% (266,000) of all malaria deaths worldwide.

Attempts are being made to tackle the disease around the world. In April, the WHO announced that the world’s first malaria vaccine would be given to children in Malawi, Kenya and Ghana as part of a large-scale pilot project.

Scientists are developing technology to both kill and stop the spread of mosquitoes, such as bed nets, wall spraying, mosquito traps and genetic engineering.

“The toolbox is looking quite full at the moment, but the thing with many of these new tools is how to move them from the really exciting breakthrough phase to the implementation,” Weetman adds. </s> THE Department of Health (DOH) recently added three new Zika cases to the list of confirmed cases in the country for 2016, including a pregnant woman in Cebu City.

There are now a total of 12 cases. All were reported in September after tests conducted at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).



“Of these 12 cases, eight were females while age ranged from nine years to 55 years. Ten of these cases were from Region VI (Western Visayas) and one each from Region VII (Central Visayas) and NCR. The previously reported case from Laguna (Calabrazon) was traced to Muntinlupa upon verification. Among cases from Region VI, 9 were from Iloilo City and 1 from Oton, just a few kilometers outside Iloilo City,” Health Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial explained.



These cases did not have history of travel to an affected country a month prior to the onset of their illness. All of these confirmed cases presented with skin rashes with any one of the following: fever, muscle or joint pains, conjunctivitis without eye discharge. All have recovered from their mild illness.



The health chief added the 22-year-old confirmed case from Cebu is also 19 weeks pregnant with her first child. Initial ultrasound did not detect any fetal abnormalities. She will be monitored regularly during the entire period of the pregnancy.



DOH quick response teams were sent to affected areas to conduct case investigations and to recommend specific measures to prevent further spread. Iloilo city is carrying out indoor residual spraying coupled with fogging in affected and high risk areas to reduce adult mosquito density. This were done only after search and destroy were done in the same areas in order to eliminate mosquito breeding sites. All cases were advised to avoid mosquito bites by applying insect repellent over exposed areas at least a week after onset of their illness.



Zika virus disease is primarily transmitted via mosquito bites. The aedes aegypti is responsible for spreading Zika virus and also dengue and chikungunya viruses. In Brazil and other countries, pregnant women who got infected at anytime during their pregnancy have increased risk of giving birth to babies with congenital defects affecting the brain (microcephaly). Sexual transmission was also reported as another means of getting the zika virus.



DOH reiterates its appeal to local government units to find ways and be very vigorous so that households are able to search and destroy mosquito breeding sites, commonly seen inside and around homes. Pregnant women may use insect repellent or mosquito nets at daytime to avoid mosquito bites and potential Zika infection. Any individual who presents with skin rash and any other symptom should visit the nearest facility to rule out zika infections.



Zika can be mistaken for measles, dengue or chikungunya. A laboratory test is needed to confirm them. Pregnant women should follow advice of their doctors with regards to risks associated with zika and on ways to prevent zika infection.



The 4S means (1) Search and destroy mosquito breeding places, (2) Self-protection measures like using insect repellent and mosquito bed nets especially at day time, as well as the use of condom for protection against this sexually transmitted infection, (3) Seek early consultation for skin rashes and fever, joint pain or red eyes, and (4) Say Yes to fogging when there is an impending outbreak. Ugaliin nating gawin ang 4S sa ating komunidad para maprotektahan ang ating pamilya at mahal sa buhay,” Ubial concluded. </s> (CNN) A national dengue epidemic has been declared in the Philippines, where 622 people have died of the mosquito-borne disease since January and millions more are at risk.

From the start of the year to July 20, there have been more than 146,000 cases recorded -- a 98% increase from the same time period last year, according to the country's Department of Health.

The Philippines had declared a national dengue alert just last month after reporting more than 450 deaths -- but officials had said the dengue was "localized," according to CNN affiliate CNN Philippines

With almost two hundred additional deaths in the past month, the crisis has now escalated to a national epidemic.

The epidemic was declared in order to enable government agencies to better identify at risk areas, said a health ministry statement.

"It is important that a national epidemic be declared in these areas to identify where a localized response is needed, and to enable the local government units to use their Quick Response Fund to address the epidemic situation," said Health Secretary Francisco Duque in the statement.

Several other regions like Central Visayas and Ilocos are at high risk with thousands of cases reported, though not yet past the epidemic threshold.

"As part of our data, is 5,100 cases per week average," said Duque at a press conference about the epidemic on Wednesday. "This is really staggering. This is going to be a record number."

Since July, health officials have worked to combat the spread of the viral infection. They deployed hundreds of doctors and nurses to provincial and district hospitals, and provided emergency funding to affected regions, among other measures, according to the Department of Health

The Philippines became the first country in Asia to approve the use of the Dengvaxia vaccine, the world's first and only licensed dengue vaccine made by French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pateur, in 2016.

The drug was distributed to more than 800,000 students as part of school-based government immunization program, but was suspended in 2017 after clinical trial data showed that it could have unintended consequences in non-infected patients.

Despite the epidemic, the government has no immediate plans to reintroduce the vaccine to the public, Mark Timbal, spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council told CNN Wednesday.

Timbal said the adverse effects of Dengvaxia were still being investigated by the government and in the meantime, efforts would focus on the removal or destruction of mosquito breeding sites, in collaboration with schools, communities, and local governments.

Dengue cases in the Philippines have historically surged every three to four years, and the sharp increase this year is in line with expectations after a 2016 spike, Duque said last month. These spikes aren't isolated to just the Philippines, either -- last week , more than 1,000 people in Bangladesh were diagnosed with dengue in a 24-hour period, and hospitals are now overflowing with patients. </s> According to the Thai Bureau of Epidemiology at the Department of Disease Control, there have already been more than 28 thousand cases and 53 death cases from the mosquito-borne Dengue virus. Last year, there were only 33 death cases. The Chiang Rai Times reports that medics have commented on the situation as “one of the most severe Dengue outbreaks in recent years.” The article also states that health officials have reported more than 40 thousand cases which is 1.6 times more than that of 2018.

Dr. Cheewanan Lertpiriyasuwat, the Vector-Borne Disease Bureau Director at the country’s Department of Disease Control (DDC) stated that the “current Dengue outbreak situation was worrisome.” She also underlined that the prevalence of Dengue Fever in Thailand has increased significantly from last year’s figure of 38.6 people per 100,000 of the population to about 61 people per 100,000. The Thaiger reported that the Public Health Ministry has signed an agreement with seven state agencies to control mosquito larvae during the annual wet-season which is when cases peak each year. It continues to report that the Defense Ministry, Tourism and Sports Ministry, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Interior Ministry, Culture Ministry, Education Ministry, and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration are going to co-ordinate improvements for the control of mosquito larvae.

If there are agreements signed by the different departments and ministries as stated above, it is an indication that the nation’s authorities are taking initiatives in battling the spreading diseases which cause severe threats and death to the people of Thailand. There are four closely related but antigenically different serotypes of the virus that can cause Dengue, and they are DEN 1, DEN 2, DEN 3, DEN 4. Since Dengue is a viral infection disease which is caused by the transmission of a bite by a mosquito, it is difficult to terminate the disease especially when mosquitoes are found in most places such as tall grasses and weeds near inhabited locations.

Mosquitoes breed in stagnant, standing freshwater and are oftentimes found around the home including inside tin cans, buckets, discarded tires, and other artificial containers. Insect sprays and insect incense are commonly used in Southeast Asian nations like Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. According to Outbreak News Today, Dengue Fever is also classified into different types which provide different symptoms and levels of threat. Dengue Fever (DF) is marked by an onset of sudden high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and pain in muscles and joints. Some may also have a rash and varying degrees of bleeding from various parts of the body. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is a more severe form, seen only in a small proportion of those infected. DHF is a stereotypic illness characterized by 3 phases; febrile phase with high continuous fever usually lasting for less than 7 days; critical phase (plasma leaking) lasting 1-2 days usually apparent when fever comes down, leading to shock if not detected and treated early; convalescence phase lasting 2-5 days with improvement of appetite, bradycardia, convalescent rash (white patches in red background), often accompanied by generalized itching (more intense in palms and soles), and diuresis (increase urine output). Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) is a dangerous complication of Dengue infection and is associated with high mortality. Severe Dengue occurs as a result of secondary infection with a different virus serotype. Increased vascular permeability, together with myocardial dysfunction and dehydration, contribute to the development of shock, with results in multi-organ failure.

All in all, the outbreak of Dengue Fever has been spreading across Thailand and is extremely life-threatening to the population. The government is taking massive initiatives to encounter the issue in the hopes of preventing further escalation of the virus.
Researchers from Australia report the success of a plan to use mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria to prevent the spread of dengue fever in an Australian town, stating that they intend to bring the program to other locales.