FACT SHEET 1: What is dengue fever and where is it found?
Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted primarily by the highly domesticated ?dengue mosquito?, the female of the Aedes aegypti species. 50-100 million dengue cases are reported annually with 500,000 of these developing into dengue haemorrhagic fever resulting in 25,000-40,000 deaths annually worldwide. Scientists believe the only immediate way of preventing and controlling the further spread of dengue fever is to control the vector (the carrier) the Aedes aegyptimosquito.
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FACT SHEET 2: Aedes aegypti
Only female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can transmit dengue because only the female mosquito bites (or blood-feeds). They require the blood for egg production. Given that most mosquitoes die at a young age, only relatively old mosquitoes (those at least 12 days old) can transmit dengue virus to humans.
Please click here for more information. PDF 808kb FACT SHEET 3: Our research to stop the spread of dengue fever There is currently no known cure or vaccine for dengue fever. Our research is exploring the use of and effectiveness of Wolbachia as an exciting new way of controlling Aedes aegypti. Scientists hope that by introducing this naturally occurring, life-shortening strain of Wolbachia bacterium into Aedes aegypti, the mosquitoes will die before they are old enough to transmit dengue virus to people.
Please click here for more information. PDF 648kb FACT SHEET 4: Funding for our research The project is funded by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health as part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation?s ?Grand Challenges in Global Health? initiative.
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FACT SHEET 5: Mosquito Research Facility Cairns
$2M AUD has been invested in a state of the art Mosquito Research Facility in Cairns, Far North Queensland. The purpose built research facility on the JCU Cairns Campus has been built to a high security level to offer the most flexibility for researchers in the future to conduct research into novel approaches to control insect-transmitted diseases that may threaten communities in Australia and worldwide in the future.
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