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WORLD NEWSFriday 5 February 2016

Latin America scrambles to squash Zika-spreading mosquito 

JENNY BARCHFIELD                                                                                                                                                       he said. This week, Florida
MALCOLM RITTER
Associated Press                                                                                                                                                       Gov. Rick Scott declared a
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) —
With no hope for a vac-                                                                                                                                                state of emergency in four
cine to prevent Zika in the
near future, authorities are                                                                                                                                           of his state’s counties in re-
focusing on the most effec-
tive way to combat the vi-                                                                                                                                             sponse to reports of nine
rus: killing the mosquito that
carries it.                                                                                                                                                            cases of Zika, all believed
Fumigation is one method;
another is seeking out and                                                                                                                                             to be travelers who con-
draining standing water
where the insect lays its                                                                                                                                              tracted the disease outside
eggs. Other strategies are
possible, including larvae-                                                                                                                                            of the country. The order
devouring fish, genetically
modified insects and even                                                                                                                                              allows Florida’s agriculture
lasers.
But officials agree that it                                                                                                                                            department to use mos-
won’t be easy.
The battle is focused on                                                                                                                                               quito spray more in those
Aedes aegypti, a formida-
ble foe. It carries not only                                                                                                                                           areas.
Zika, but other diseases like
dengue, yellow fever and                                                                                                                                               Oxitec, a British biotech
chikunguya. Well adapted
to humans, it lives largely                                                                                                                                            firm, says its genetically
inside homes and can lay
eggs in even a bottle-cap’s                                                                                                                                            modified mosquitoes could
worth of stagnant water.
The dishes beneath potted                                                                                                                                              be another part of the solu-
plants are a favorite spot,
as are abandoned tires,                                                                                                                                                tion. It raises male mosqui-
bird feeders and even the
little puddles of rainwater                                                                                                                                            toes that have been modi-
that collect in the folds of
plastic tarps.                                                                                                                                                         fied to produce offspring
“This mosquito really is a
bear to deal with,” said                                                                                                                                               that do not live. These
Thomas Scott, professor of
entomology and epidemi-                                                                                                                                                males are released into the
ology at the University of
California, Davis. “It’s al-                                                                                                                                           target area, where they
most like a cockroach of
the mosquito world.”                                                                                                                                                   compete with wild males to
Scientists are also trying to
determine if, and how eas-       In this Feb. 1, 2016 photo, a technician from the British biotec company Oxitec, inspects the pu- mate with the wild females.
ily, Zika could be spread
by sex or by blood transfu-      pae of genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, a vector for transmitting the Zika virus, in                                    The company said tests be-
sions. But the virus is usually  Campinas, Brazil.                                                                                                                     gun last April as part of a
transmitted through mos-                                                                                                                                               dengue-fighting program
quito bites.                                                                                                                                         Associated Press
Brazil’s first case of Zika — a
virus that was first identified  In this Feb. 1, 2016 photo, Guilherme Trivellato, from the British                    While DDT has been shown                        in the small southeastern
in Uganda in 1947 and sub-       biotec company Oxitec, releases genetically modified Aedes                            to harm the environment,                        city of Piracicaba suggest-
sequently spread to parts        aegypti mosquitoes, which are a vector for the spread of the                          new insecticides “really are                    ed the release of the GM
of Asia — was recorded           Zika virus, in Piracicaba, Brazil.                                                    pretty safe environmental-                      males reduced the wild
in the middle of last year.                                                                                            ly,” said Charles Apperson,                     Aedes larvae population
Researchers don’t know                                                                               Associated Press  a professor emeritus of en-                     in the target neighborhood
exactly how it made the                                                                                                tomology at North Carolina                      by more than 80 percent.
jump, but two theories sug-      than 20 countries in the re-  the development of a vac-                               State University. But as with                   Oxitec officials insist the
gest it may have arrived         gion, the Caribbean and       cine against Zika. But a via-                           DDT, there’s still the issue                    company — which has also
with tourists visiting the       beyond, leading the World     ble vaccine is years away,                              of insects developing resis-                    done projects in Panama
country for the 2014 World       Health Organization this      and public health experts                               tance, so new insecticides                      and the Caiman Islands —
Cup soccer tournament            week to declare an inter-     say for now, slashing the                               must continually be devel-                      has the capacity to scale
or an international canoe-       national emergency.           mosquito population is key.                             oped, he said.                                  up the program to tackle
ing competition the same                                                                                               Brazilian President Dilma                       large cities such as Recife,
year.                                                                                                                  Rousseff has pledged to                         a sprawling seaside me-
Thanks to Aedes aegypti,                                                                                               send some 220,000 mem-                          tropolis of 1.5 million that’s
the disease quickly spread                                                                                             bers of the armed forces                        the epicenter of Brazil’s Zika
across Brazil and to more                                                                                              door-to-door to help ferret                     outbreak.
                                                                                                                       out the spots of standing                       Still, with Zika already re-
                                                                                                                       water. But Scott said while                     corded in 19 Brazilian states
                                                                                                                       campaigns aimed at elimi-                       and widely expected to
                                                                                                                       nating stagnant water can                       continue spreading, some
                                                                                                                       help, they’re not enough.                       experts doubt that Oxitec’s
                                                                                                                       Pesticides are needed too,                      GM mosquitoes offer a re-
                                                                                                                                                                       alistic solution.

                                 The concern is not the dis- “The most important thing,”

                                 ease itself — Zika’s immedi- said Jayme Souza-Neto,

                                 ate effects are mild, con- a researcher at Sao Paulo

                                 sisting mostly of a moder- State University who studies

                                 ate fever and a rash, and interactions between virus-

                                 only a fifth of those afflicted es and mosquitoes, is to “try

                                 notice any symptoms. But to prevent mosquitoes from

                                 Brazilian authorities say also reaching adulthood.”

                                 they have detected a spike The country had success

                                 in cases of microcephaly, against Aedes once be-

                                 which leaves infants with fore, when a nationwide

                                 unusually small heads and campaign to drain stand-

                                 can result in brain damage ing waters and spray the in-

                                 and a host of developmen- secticide DDT led to a steep

                                 tal and health problems.      fall in dengue and yellow                               In this Jan. 29, 2016 photo, Tamires da Costa, 16, who’s four
                                 The link between Zika and     fever in the late 1950s. But                            months pregnant, stands in a street with standing flood water
                                 microcephaly is as yet un-    as the crusade faded, the                               next to her home in the Parque Sao Bento shantytown of Rio de
                                 proven.                       insect drifted back in from                             Janeiro, Brazil. 
                                 Brazil is pouring money into  neighboring countries.
                                                                                                                                                                                           Associated Press
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