Share - WeChat

No 'magic bullet'

Biologist and epidemiologist Ludimila Raupp, a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, said there is an "urgent need" to expand the project but it "is not easy".

She said that in Rio de Janeiro, for example, implementation of the project has suffered "serious flaws" and "institutional lack of coordination".

Local health teams hampered their effectiveness with the heavy use of larvicides that are harmful to the Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, said Raupp.

Meanwhile, violence linked to organized crime has interfered with the release of the mosquitoes in the city's sprawling favelas, or urban settlements located within or on the outskirts of large cities, said Moreira.

Expanding this program presents "technical, operational, logistical, and financial" challenges, said Brazil's Health Minister Alexandre Padilha.

Nevertheless, the Wolbachia method is set to be implemented in 54 new cities this year, bringing the total number of participating municipalities to 70.

Moreira said the method is not a "magic bullet" against dengue, but rather a strategy that is "complementary" to other measures, such as vaccines.

Brazil last year developed the world's first single-dose vaccine against dengue, and India is in the final stages of testing another.

Agencies via Xinhua

|<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next   >>|