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FAQ

FAQs

Q1. Where does dengue occur?

Q2. Why is dengue fever a serious public health problem?

Q3. How do mosquitoes transmit dengue to humans?

Q4. What are the symptoms of dengue and how is it treated?

Q5. What is Wolbachia?

Q6. Why is it worthwhile conducting research aimed at introducing Wolbachia into mosquito populations?

Q7. What effects does Wolbachia have on the mosquito?

Q8. How will research determine whether or not introducing Wolbachia into mosquito populations will reduce dengue outbreaks?

Q9. Could this approach be used for other diseases?

Q10. How will Wolbachia spread through the mosquito population?

Q11. Will Wolbachia be transferred to other organisms including humans?

Q12. If Wolbachia is so common in insects, how has it been transferred between them?

Q13. Can Wolbachia be transmitted to other organisms via the shedding of scales in the environment or excreta? When a Wolbachia-carrying mosquito dies, will the Wolbachia live on or enter the environment in some other way ie. via the soil or water?

Q14. Can Wolbachia be transmitted if larvae, pupae, mosquito, or mosquito scales are ingested by people (ie. in drinking water)?

Q15. Does Wolbachia occur in humans?

Q16. How much do we actually know about Wolbachia and the particular strains of Wolbachia that we are using?

Q17. Are alternatives to Wolbachia being explored? What are they?

Q18. When will these Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes be released in the field?

Q19. When will we know that this method will be effective?

Q20. Will Wolbachia carrying mosquitoes become ineffective as a control measure for dengue fever and become an uncontrollable pest like the cane toad in Australia.

Q21. Will Wolbachia be effective in the long term?

Q22. Will Wolbachia change in time, what are the implications of this? Could Aedes aegypti become a more competent vector (for dengue, yellow fever)? Could it become a vector for other diseases like Ross River fever?

Q23. If there is no Wolbachia in the spit of the mosquito, might this change in time if the bacteria changes?

Q24. Will climate change affect the long-term effectiveness of Wolbachia as a method from controlling the spread of dengue fever?

Q25. Why is this approach better than insecticides?

Q26. What is the mosquitoes’ role in the environment?

Q27. Does reducing the mosquito lifespan affect the environment?

Q28. What eats Aedes aegypti mosquitoes?

Q29. Will reducing the size of the Aedes aegypti population affect its predators or other organisms it interacts with (ie. less food for them)? Could it also see another mosquito or disease vector take its place over time?

Q30. What will a pilot open field release look like?

How many mosquitoes
How often will they be released
How will they be released and by whom
Will we get bitten more

Q31. If they are released and something goes wrong, or there are negative effects, how will you remove them from the environment?