Omega Global to introduce dengue solution awareness

Thursday, 24 October 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Sarah Hannan As part of their corporate social responsibility projects, Teleview is collaborating with Omega Global, Bartleet and BPO Connect to introduce a bio-scientific method to eradicate dengue mosquitoes in the Colombo Municipality region. A media briefing was held at The Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo on Tuesday, with the participation of Omega Global Ltd. Managing Director Manik Suriaaratchi and Oxford University’s Dr. Kevin Gorman and Oxitec Technology Ltd. representatives participated. Dengue needs no formal introduction in Sri Lanka – much research has been carried out and many methods have been tested over the past years.

The EU funded ‘Dengue Tools’ are designed to mitigate the disease being spread further and are used in 11 countries to create awareness about the disease, encouraging researchers to study and introduce ways to eradicate the Aedes aegypti mosquito species. Honouring the statement released by World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Dr. Margaret Chan and the recommendations of the WHO to control the principal mosquito vector by suppressing it, researchers headed by Dr. Luke Alphony from Oxford University affiliated to Oxitech developed a genetically sterile male mosquito. This bio-scientific method is believed to eliminate the dengue mosquito vector. This method (genetically engineered organism) will be implemented once the genetically sterile Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes are released to the wild to mate with the Aedes aegypti female mosquitoes in the wild. As a result the eggs produced will not reach the full life circle of an adult mosquito and overtime the lifecycle of the Aedes aegypti species will be reduced. The genetically sterile male mosquito was developed and refined over a 10-year period and has been tested in Cayman Islands and Brazil: In an open release demonstration in the Cayman Islands in the Carribean, the technology suppressed the local Aedes aegypti population by over 80% within four months. In multiple open release demonstrations in Brazil, suppression rates ranged from 85% to 96% in four to six months of release.This shows the potential for the sterile male technology to rapidly and sustainably reduce the dengue carrying mosquito population without exposing the humans and animals living in the area to potentially toxic chemical procedures. Environmental compatibility is another hallmark of sterile male mosquitoes. There are no toxins involved and therefore no potential for environmental contamination. These mosquitoes have the ability to reach areas where traditional fogging techniques cannot reach – behind walls, locked doors and in construction sites. Lastly, because the dengue carriers of Aedes aegypti mosquito vector is not native and are invasive to Sri Lanka, eliminating these mosquitoes may benefit Sri Lanka’s natural biodiversity.