Scientists In Singapore Have Long Been The Global Leaders In The Field Of Mosquito Control
Scientists In Singapore Have Long Been The Global Leaders In The Field Of Mosquito Control
A crowd of excited spectators recently gathered together in a residential area of Singapore in order to witness an unusual event. The crowd was eagerly awaiting the release of thousands of mosquitoes into the environment. Public health officials in Singapore have decided to release diseased mosquitoes into the wild in order to understand how the disease impacts entire mosquito populations. The disease is known as Wolbachia, and this particular event is only the latest in a series of innovative experiments that aim to improve mosquito control. Out of all the countries in Asia, Singapore was the first to announce that the Zika virus had infected Citizens of the country. This is only one example of the seriousness with which mosquito-borne diseases are treated in the country. America may be home to clever innovators in the field of insect pest control, but the country of Singapore has long been revered for its achievements in the science of mosquito control.
It is well known that the humid environment in Southern Asia is ideal for the proliferation of mosquito populations. Mosquito-borne diseases have long devastated Asian nations. The country of Singapore is unique in that the mosquito population is much lower there than in neighboring Asian countries. This is due to Singapore’s highly successful mosquito control programs. These innovative programs in Singapore have inspired the development of similar pest control methods in other countries. The fight against mosquitoes in the country began in the 1960s.
Although Singapore has largely succeeded in its effort to reduce the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, one disease has proven difficult to control. For the past fifteen years cases of dengue fever have been increasing in the country. This is why mosquito-control efforts were well in motion prior to the Zika outbreaks. Dengue infection rates are still relatively low when compared to other southern Asian countries. However, any American would be astonished at how prevalent the disease is in Singapore. Experts estimate that nearly twenty percent of individuals under the age of twenty have contracted the mosquito-borne disease at some point. But the dengue infection rate in Bangkok, Thailand, for example, is around eighty percent for the same age group.
Do you believe that it is in Singapore’s best interest to share its superior mosquito control methods with neighboring countries?
