Thread by @WHO

A technique that sterilizes male mosquitoes🦟 using radiation will soon be tested as part of global health efforts to control diseases such as #chikungunya, #dengue, and #Zika.

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The Sterile Insect Technique is a form of insect birth control. It involves rearing large quantities of sterilized male 🦟🦟 in dedicated facilities & then releasing them to mate with females in the wild. As they do not produce any offspring, the insect population ⬇️ over time.

.@TDRnews and @iaeaorg, in partnership with @FAO and WHO have developed guidance for countries that have expressed interest in testing the Sterile Insect Technique for Aedes mosquitoes.

📷 IAEA

@TDRnews @iaeaorg @FAO @WHOAFRO @WHO_Europe @pahowho @WHOEMRO @WHOWPRO @WHOSEARO In recent decades, the incidence of #dengue has increased dramatically due to:

🔹environmental changes
🔹unregulated urbanization
🔹transport and travel
🔹insufficient sustainable vector control tools.

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@TDRnews @iaeaorg @FAO @WHOAFRO @WHO_Europe @pahowho @WHOEMRO @WHOWPRO @WHOSEARO #Dengue outbreaks are currently occurring in several countries, notably on the Indian sub-continent. 🇧🇩 is facing the worst outbreak of dengue since its first recorded epidemic in 2000. The South Asian nation has seen the number of cases rise to over 92,000 since January 2019.

@TDRnews @iaeaorg @FAO @WHOAFRO @WHO_Europe @pahowho @WHOEMRO @WHOWPRO @WHOSEARO Diseases transmitted by 🦟🦟 such as #malaria, #dengue, #Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever account for about 17% of all infectious diseases globally, claiming more than 700,000 lives each year, and inflicting suffering on many more.

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@TDRnews @iaeaorg @FAO @WHOAFRO @WHO_Europe @pahowho @WHOEMRO @WHOWPRO @WHOSEARO The Sterile Insect Technique was first developed by @USDA & has been used successfully to target insect pests that attack crops and livestock, such as the Mediterranean fruit fly & the New World screwworm fly. It is currently in use 🌎🌍 in the agriculture sector on 6 continents.