It’s hard to believe that after reporting 1,649,008 dengue fever cases and 863 deaths in 2015 that during the first weeks of 2016, the country is seeing a 50 percent increase in cases, which has also prompted concerns of the Zika virus threat.
On Friday, the Brazil Health Ministry reported 74,000 “probable” cases of dengue from Jan. 3 to Jan. 23 – an increase of almost 50 percent from the same period in January 2015.
Experts say this demonstrates an inefficiency in mosquito control and concerns of a Zika explosion, which some estimates put as high as 1.5 million cases to date.
The country is making efforts to quell the spread by deploying the military to visit homes and educate the public, in addition to eradicating mosquito breeding areas.
Related:
- Brazil reports 3rd Zika fatality belatedly in Rio Grande do Norte patient
- Argentina dengue count nears 5,000 in 2016
- Mexico reports 50 Zika cases in January, most in Chiapas and Oaxaca
- WHO update Zika travel advice for pregnant women
I suggest a worldwide contest to build a Mosquito egg trap which for example could consist of a black container placed in the shade that fills with water automatically giving a place for mosquitoes to lay eggs. The water would drain every 12 hours to ensure the eggs die on the ground.
It should be cheaply reproducible and be able to be mass produced in the hundreds of millions and placed in locations so as to have a continuing impact against disease spread by mosquitoes.
It would be more effective in countries with dry seasons.
A genetically engineering solution will never get rid of all the mosquitoes and will cost more than a trap as well as have potential unwanted consequences.
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Regards
Alex Muir
Chief Data engineer/architect
http://www.tilogeo.com