Now A Portable Device To Identify Dengue Virus-Carrying Mosquitoes

Now A Portable Device To Identify Dengue Virus-Carrying MosquitoesA novel portable device will now aid medical physicians identify dengue virus-containing mosquitoes and help lessen the chances of human contagions all over the globe.

Each year, around one million individuals, a large part of whom are kids, need to hospitalize for severe dengue.

In addition, more than a 100 million individuals being infected internationally can lead to mild debilitation through to the severe complexities of dengue haemorrhagic fever.

The simple diagnostic device, formulated by David Muller and fellow workers from the University of Queensland and researchers in Melbourne and South America, can be utilized in the arena to discover dengue infection in large numbers of mosquitoes.

In the Journal of Virological Methods, David Muller stated, "Unlike other approaches to mosquito surveillance, this new tool provides information on whether mosquitoes are carrying dengue."

"It is rapid, specific, and does not require specialised equipment or personnel. This means it will be viable for use in developing regions of the world where dengue is a significant health and economic burden," Muller added.

About half of the globe's population is at risk of catching the virus that is transmitted to human beings through the bite of an contagious female mosquito.

Paul Young, professor head of Muller's group at the Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, stated that thorough field examination was still being carried out.

"The goal of this work is to provide the tools to not only assess mosquito numbers in the field but also their infection status," Young also said.