Scientists fight dengue fever with mosquitoes

Scientists reduce dengue by 77% - 21st June 2021

Dengue fever cases in Indonesia have fallen by 77% after a trial of a new disease prevention method.

Each year, millions of people are infected with dengue fever through mosquito bites. In order to reduce the spread of the disease, scientists in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta infected five million mosquito eggs with a special bacteria. The eggs were released into the city every two weeks. Over a period of nine months, the number of mosquitoes with the bacteria grew and grew.

The bacteria is called Wolbachia. It doesn't harm the mosquito. However, it lives in the same part of the mosquito as the dengue virus. This prevents the disease from reproducing. As a result, the mosquito is less likely to cause an infection when it bites people.

Scientists are excited about the results of the trial. There was a 77% reduction in cases and an 86% reduction in people needing hospital care.

50 years ago, few people had heard of dengue fever. However, cases have increased dramatically in recent years. Up to 400 million people catch the virus each year. Dengue is often called "break-bone fever" because it causes people a lot of pain in their muscles and bones. During large outbreaks, hospitals can become overwhelmed.

The World Mosquito Programme says this new method could be the solution to the virus - and to others. Because mosquitoes also infect people with other diseases such as Zika, yellow fever and chikungunya, scientists are now hopeful that these viruses could soon be eliminated.