Snowy Owl
Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
Experts call for mosquito eradication to fight dengue
Published on page A5 of the October 9, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
SINGAPORE -- Increased population density in developing countries and the mobility of people in the developed world have led health research experts here to call for a back-to-basics mosquito-eradication program in countries affected by dengue, including the Philippines.
The Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), a public-private venture of pharmaceutical giant Novartis and the Singapore Economic Development Board, said governments should note the alarming statistics on the reemergence of the mosquito-borne disease.
There are some 50 million cases of dengue, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome every year, most of them in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, according to the World Health Organization.
This leads to around 500,000 hospitalizations per year and an estimated 12,000 deaths.
?Dengue is diabolic. They (infected people) just bleed inside and outside. It's like ebola,? NITD chair Paul Herrling said at a press briefing.
Some 2.5 billion people are at risk for dengue and DHF.
The Philippines? Department of Health has reported nearly 23,000 dengue cases this year alone. In Singapore, dengue infections skyrocketed from 4,000 four years ago to 18,000 last year.
?It looks like, currently, we are on a very clear trend of an increase...
This increase probably has to do with mobility and the density of the population.
Of course it could also be other things, maybe the virus has evolved. We don't know. That's what we have to find out,? Herrling said.
He said the exponential increase in the number of dengue cases has baffled health experts and scientists, who have started taking a closer look at dengue and its possible treatment.
The NITD, whose research is focused on drugs to fight dengue and tuberculosis, is doing genome-focused studies to find out why some people infected with dengue die while others manage to overcome it, and how this could be addressed.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection (genus Flavivirus) that causes fever, severe joint pain that could lead to shock, hemorrhage and, in the worst cases, death. DHF has a fatality rate that can exceed 20 percent, especially among children.
DHF was first recognized as potentially fatal during World War II when epidemics among soldiers were reported in the Philippines and Thailand. Since the war, dengue epidemics reemerged about ten years ago, Herrling said.
?Dengue was important during the war, but then the mosquitoes got killed by DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and dengue disappeared.
Now people don't use DDT anymore so the mosquitoes are back.
Dengue is back and the number of people with dengue is growing exponentially,? he said.
The NITD chief is pushing for a renewed drive against mosquitoes, especially in tropical countries which are at high risk for dengue and its accompanying economic burden.
?What governments can do now is mosquito control. Reduce the population of mosquitoes, kill the larvae.
Education is important, especially in endemic countries like the Philippines where there are many children,? Herrling said.
He said NITD has been working on an antiviral drug for dengue for the last three years, but at this stage, it could take another 10 to 12 years.
?We have already selected some enzymes.
We have the very first drug this year that could go into the development stage,? Herrling said, adding that NITD was also testing some natural compounds against the virus.
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=25589
Published on page A5 of the October 9, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
SINGAPORE -- Increased population density in developing countries and the mobility of people in the developed world have led health research experts here to call for a back-to-basics mosquito-eradication program in countries affected by dengue, including the Philippines.
The Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), a public-private venture of pharmaceutical giant Novartis and the Singapore Economic Development Board, said governments should note the alarming statistics on the reemergence of the mosquito-borne disease.
There are some 50 million cases of dengue, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome every year, most of them in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, according to the World Health Organization.
This leads to around 500,000 hospitalizations per year and an estimated 12,000 deaths.
?Dengue is diabolic. They (infected people) just bleed inside and outside. It's like ebola,? NITD chair Paul Herrling said at a press briefing.
Some 2.5 billion people are at risk for dengue and DHF.
The Philippines? Department of Health has reported nearly 23,000 dengue cases this year alone. In Singapore, dengue infections skyrocketed from 4,000 four years ago to 18,000 last year.
?It looks like, currently, we are on a very clear trend of an increase...
This increase probably has to do with mobility and the density of the population.
Of course it could also be other things, maybe the virus has evolved. We don't know. That's what we have to find out,? Herrling said.
He said the exponential increase in the number of dengue cases has baffled health experts and scientists, who have started taking a closer look at dengue and its possible treatment.
The NITD, whose research is focused on drugs to fight dengue and tuberculosis, is doing genome-focused studies to find out why some people infected with dengue die while others manage to overcome it, and how this could be addressed.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection (genus Flavivirus) that causes fever, severe joint pain that could lead to shock, hemorrhage and, in the worst cases, death. DHF has a fatality rate that can exceed 20 percent, especially among children.
DHF was first recognized as potentially fatal during World War II when epidemics among soldiers were reported in the Philippines and Thailand. Since the war, dengue epidemics reemerged about ten years ago, Herrling said.
?Dengue was important during the war, but then the mosquitoes got killed by DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and dengue disappeared.
Now people don't use DDT anymore so the mosquitoes are back.
Dengue is back and the number of people with dengue is growing exponentially,? he said.
The NITD chief is pushing for a renewed drive against mosquitoes, especially in tropical countries which are at high risk for dengue and its accompanying economic burden.
?What governments can do now is mosquito control. Reduce the population of mosquitoes, kill the larvae.
Education is important, especially in endemic countries like the Philippines where there are many children,? Herrling said.
He said NITD has been working on an antiviral drug for dengue for the last three years, but at this stage, it could take another 10 to 12 years.
?We have already selected some enzymes.
We have the very first drug this year that could go into the development stage,? Herrling said, adding that NITD was also testing some natural compounds against the virus.
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=25589