“The El Niño phenomenon has already arrived and the heat wave we have and the consequences is evident,” said the secretary of the Valley, María Cristina Lesmes.
At the same time, the ‘Wolbachia’ project is advancing in Yumbo, an exercise in which, instead of killing the mosquito, the insect is infected with the bacteria so that it does not transmit the disease.
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The Cali Health Secretary and the Red de Salud de Ladera ESE have also been working in recent years on the scientific innovation project through which ‘Aedes aegipty’ mosquitoes are released, carriers of a natural bacterium called ‘Wolbachia’, which makes them incapable of transmit diseases such as dengue, zika and chikungunya.
This international initiative is led by the World Mosquito Program, which is operating in Latin American countries, such as Brazil and Mexico, and began in Colombia in 2013.
According to the Cali Ministry of Health, ‘Wolbachia’ is already present in more than half of all insect species worldwide, and research has shown that it can significantly reduce the ability of mosquitoes to transmit viruses to the humans.
Once the mosquitoes are carriers of the bacteria, they are released in areas. When the male Wolbachia mosquito mates with wild females, the eggs will not produce offspring, thus reducing the number of Aedes.
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“We have an increase in dengue cases, although the department of Valle has not entered an outbreak. We have an alert in the municipalities where the mosquito lives permanently, especially in the flat area on the banks of the Cauca River,” said the official.
For this reason, he insisted on the importance of good domestic management of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, avoiding stagnant water, checking that the garden and exteriors do not have waste or metal paper where water accumulates that facilitates the proliferation of the mosquito.
In addition, he invited the public to follow the recommendations. “Take care of the environment. We have to deal with the mosquito that sounds in the ear called Culex, the striped-legged mosquito that is Aedes aegypti, a transmitter of dengue. If you are going to collect water, remember to cover it, if you like vases, change them every third day; do not have plants in water, plant them on the ground and avoid putting pots under the pots where the water that the wader likes is collected, ”explained the official.
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To pregnant women, he recommended wearing long-sleeved blouses, pants and that the skin is not exposed. As well as using light colors, and repellent that must be applied to clothing so that it lasts longer and does not bite the mosquito.
From the Ministry of Health and the Executing Unit of Sanitation of the Valley (Uesvalle) permanent interventions are carried out in the search for mosquito breeding sites. It will be sprayed with Malathion which kills the striders that are flying instantly.
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CALI
