It is hard to use pesticides to exterminate. The stronger way to reduce the rate of the disease is through genetic modification to the mosquitoes.
˜Genetic modification is the alteration of genetic material to make them capable of producing new substances or performing new function.' (Dictionary.com, Genetic modification). For example, new gene transferred into plant cells, the genetically modified crops are able to resist some insect pest. The genetic modification treatment for dengue disease is not for human, but for vectors, mosquitoes themselves. Before, radiation explosion is used, but causing the mosquitoes to be not sturdy. A British organization call Oxitec has been investing the genetically modified mosquitoes. They start with injecting small amount of DNA into the eggs of mosquitoes using a special glass needle. The eggs that are injected can hardly survive. The gene in cooperate with the mosquito cells and put into the genome of the mosquito. With the extra gene, a protein that is able to dysfunction the cell is added. This protein can stop the cells from gene activation for survival and cause the mosquitoes die prematurely. Enable to keep the first batch of male mosquitoes mature and release into the wild and pass on the gene. An antibiotic called tetracycline is given to the male mosquitoes. This antibiotic can stop the modified protein from working. The mosquitoes itself can remain healthy. The gene of mosquitoes will exist in the egg and sperm cells and pass to offspring. .
After mating, the offspring will not be able to grow and by doing this, the number of mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus can be slowly reduced. The modified mosquitoes also carry the special genes that can easily let scientist to recognize. (Oxitec, Moreon the science: how does oxitec make genetically modified mosquitoes?) Because the population of people with risk is such a huge number, biological treatment cannot be done easily.
