[ad_1]
KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 – The government will launch an operation to release mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria in 10 localities in July to boost dengue control, said Deputy Prime Minister Datan Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
She added that this decision was made following the success of the pioneering program in five localities since 2017, in which nearly four million Aedes mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia were released.
"The mosquito infected with Wolbachia is an innovation to fight the progression of dengue fever by injecting the bacterium Wolbachia. Aedes aegypti mosquito eggs.
"The mosquito infected with Wolbachia will inhibit the growth of the dengue virus in the mosquito and subsequently prevent the spread of the dengue virus," she told reporters after presiding today. National Dengue Committee in Parliament.
She added that with this technique, the committee was aiming for a 60-70% reduction in dengue cases in the released locality, thus reducing the dengue mortality rate.
Dr. Wan Azizah said that the committee meeting had also agreed to study the use of artificial intelligence to predict dengue outbreak sites.
"Artificial intelligence is important for badyzing variables such as wind speed, humidity, rain distribution, and so on.
"The time has come for us to predict the spread of dengue fever rather than react to control the epidemic," she said.
In this regard, Dr Wan Azizah said that, according to data from the Ministry of Health, 36,285 dengue cases were reported from January to March, compared with 14,734 cases for the same period in 2018.
For deaths from dengue, 59 deaths were reported nationwide from January to March this year, compared to 32 for the same period in 2018, representing an 84.4% increase or 27 additional deaths. , she said. – Bernama
Source link
