The Health Ministry has taken steps to introduce a bacteria called Wolbachia to control the spread of dengue mosquitoes.
The Wolbachia bacteria has been used successfully in Australia to eradicate dengue mosquitoes, and this bacteria was introduced after years of laboratory and field testing. Therefore, the Health Ministry has taken steps to release the Wolbachia bacteria into the environment in Sri Lanka by February, next year.
This was stated by Health Ministry Deputy Director-General Dr. Paba Palihawadana, during a media briefing held recently.
The pilot project is scheduled to be carried out in Colombo and Nugegoda. According to the Health Ministry Deputy Director-General, the bacteria will be released in 25 Grama Niladhari Divisions around Colombo.
Australia was the first country in the world to release the bacteria to control mosquito-borne diseases. The city of Townsville in the state of Queensland, Australia, hasn’t seen a single case in the past four years, despite being in the perfect habitat for the disease.
The World Mosquito Program states that it is time to introduce Wolbachia to control one of the worst epidemics in the world. The bacteria is being used successfully in 12 countries; including Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, the Pacific Islands, Vietnam, India, and Mexico.
At the World Mosquito Program, Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes are bred and, in partnership with local communities, released them into areas affected by mosquito-borne diseases.
When Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carry Wolbachia, the bacteria competes with viruses such as dengue, zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever, reducing the transmission of the viruses related to the diseases.
Under this programme, all households will be provided with mosquito eggs and a capsule containing the food they need. The mosquitoes can be bred by placing the egg capsule in a container of water and leaving it tightly closed for two weeks. The grown mosquitoes are then released to the environment.
The World Mosquito Program aims to successfully roll out the project to 100 million people worldwide by 2020.
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