Every year, there is a panic about the mosquito-borne diseases dengue and chikungunya in a particular season. However, in recent years, there has been this dengue fear throughout the year.
As mosquito breeding has increased due to global warming, population and habitat expansion have also increased the breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes. Although there was an outbreak of dengue in Dhaka and Chittagong, it is gradually spreading in different parts of the country. As a result, the virus has spread to Aedes mosquitoes in other regions of the country.
These mosquitoes can spread dengue epidemics. The only way to control dengue is mosquito control and mosquito control is a scientific matter. Therefore, researchers believe it is necessary to observe the presence of dengue virus in the body of mosquitoes before controlling mosquitoes.
Recently, Prof. Dr Md. Shahiduzzaman of the parasitology department at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) determined the presence of the dengue virus in the mosquito body using unique technology. He experimented by collecting samples of around 1000 Aedes mosquitoes from BAU and its surrounding areas. The professor claims that using this technology will make it possible to quickly monitor the presence of dengue virus in Aedes mosquitoes in an area.
The researcher said that to control dengue, it is necessary to monitor the presence of the virus in the mosquito's body. In this case, through the 'Lateral Flow Chromatographic Immunoassay' method, the dengue virus can be detected quickly from one or many Aedes mosquitoes simultaneously. The detection work uses dengue virus antigen from the specially prepared extract from Aedes mosquitoes collected through the technology. With this method, it is possible to get results in less than an hour.
He also said that people are usually infected with dengue by the bite of the female Aedes mosquito that carries the dengue virus. However, in nature, both male and female Aedes mosquitoes can carry the dengue virus. The new generation of mosquitoes born from the breeding of infected male mosquitoes with healthy female mosquitoes can be infected with the virus. Therefore, in this process, dengue can be observed in all male and female mosquitoes, and small and large, and quick steps can be taken to control dengue by predicting the dengue situation in a particular area.
Using the technology at the field level, mosquito control will be possible by monitoring the number of dengue-infected mosquitoes in a particular area, assessing the risk of dengue infection, and training mosquito control personnel. Besides, America, India, China, Singapore, and Australia are using that technology.
