Prevent Malaria using Virus: Not too far off

Malaria continues to be a major public health concern worldwide, especially in tropical countries. Each year, there are approximately 515 million cases of malaria, killing between one and three million people, the majority of whom are young children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites (Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium malariae) belong to the genus Plasmodium. Mosquito is the vector or carrier of these parasites into the human body. Mosquitoes also act as a vector for viruses and caused diseases like yellow fever, dengue fever, epidemic polyarthritis, Rift Valley fever, Ross River Fever, St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile virus (WNV), Japanese encephalitis, La Crosse encephalitis and several other encephalitis. Currently pesticide use and maintaining clean environment are the two most effective preventive measures followed in most of the countries to control the reproduction of mosquitoes. Although some are under development, no vaccine is currently available for malaria.

Is there any way to get rid of mosquitoes and so the malaria? Some people use herbal or chemical based mosquito repellent lotion or oil. The efficacy of mosquito repellent lotions is low and provides very limited protection in terms of duration and number of people. Furthermore, most of us are not ready to accept the mosquito repellent lotions as a replacement to our everyday skin care lotions! So, how to manage this tiny insect? Is there really no way to control them? Until now the answer was “No”. But researchers at Johns Hopkins University are now hoping that mosquitoes can be controlled and that using virus. Researchers have found a new virus that infects the world's most dangerous mosquito, called Anopheles gambiae. This mosquito is the chief malaria vector in Africa. This aggressive human-biter also bites animals and hide in huts. In the PLoS Pathogen journal, scientist described the virus as the first densovirus found in this African mosquito. Although the virus is harmless to the mosquito, but scientists are confident to manipulate the genetic elements of the virus in such a way that once the genetically manipulated virus infects this mosquito, it will reproduce inside the mosquito and will kill them within 10 days. This is good news indeed, although this work could take 5 to 15 years because of the regulatory and ethical barriers to releasing a virus in to wild mosquitoes. Are you ready to wait for 15 or more years to see the viral weapon against mosquitoes or you would consider mosquitoes repellent as a permanent replacement of your lovely beauty lotions to protect yourself from mosquito bite?