Amongst advances in the frontiers of science, technology and medicine, it has been reported in a dispatch that mosquitoes of dengue fever can be vaccinated by injecting their eggs with the bacterium “Wolbachia Pipientis” which makes it resistant to – and unable to transmit – the disease. What is more, all progeny inherit immunity.
This method stands in contrast to use of biotechnology to genetically modify the male mosquitoes to make them infertile which has resulted in 80 percent reduction in A aegypti. This is because many females ended up mating with GM partners which were infertile.
The above two methods to control spread of dengue fever may be considered by our scientists and health departments for combating dengue fever.
DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
