Image copyrightPETER ILLICIEV/FIOCRUZImage captionThe specially bred mosquitoes carry the bacteria Wolbachia which reduces the transmission of viruses
Captive-bred mosquitoes with a naturally occurring bacteria were released in the city of Townsville, where they mated with local mosquitoes.
By spreading the bacteria Wolbachia, which hinders dengue transmission, the city has been dengue-free since 2014.
Researchers from Monash University also believe their work could stop mosquito-borne diseases Zika and malaria.
"Nothing we've got is slowing these diseases down - they are getting worse," said Scott O'Neill, director of the World Mosquito Program, quoted by the Guardian.
"I think we've got something here that's going to have a significant impact and I think this study is the first indication that it's looking very promising."
Over four monsoon seasons, researchers released the Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes across 66km sq (25 sq miles) in the Queensland tropical town of 187,000 people.
The community embraced the project, with even school children releasing the special mosquitoes that passed on their bacteria to the local population of mosquitoes.
Media captionThe 'magic box' that could help beat malaria
"At a cost of around A$15 (£8.50) per person, the Townsville trial demonstrates the approach can be rolled out quickly, efficiently and cost effectively to help provide communities ongoing protection from mosquito-borne diseases," Professor O'Neill said.
The programme is currently working in 11 countries and aims to deploy the Wolbachia mosquitoes in larger and poorer parts around the world with a target of reducing the cost to just US$1 (75p) per person.
The next step for the team is in Yogyakarta in Indonesia - a city of nearly 390,000 - where a randomised controlled trial is under way.
Miami-Dade County in Florida is now home to a new strain of lab-grown mosquitoes, altered to carry wolbachia bacteria. In all, 666 million are slated to be released, all in the name of fighting mosquito-borne diseases that are largely absent from the county, Florida and the rest of the country.
February 13, 2018
Story at-a-glance
In January 2018, lab-bred Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying wolbachia bacteria were released in South Miami, Florida
It was the first phase of the Miami-Dade County Mosquito Reduction Test Program, which will release more wolbachia mosquitoes each week for several months — 666 million in all
If preventing Zika was their aim, government officials missed the boat on this one; although Miami-Dade County was previously designated as a Zika cautionary area, that designation was removed June 2, 2017
No Zika virus disease cases have been reported with illness onset in 2018 in the U.S., while in 2017 there were only four cases of Zika virus reported that were presumably acquired via local mosquitoes (two in Florida and two in Texas)
There is a major push to combat mosquito-borne diseases in the continental U.S. with the use of lab-made and GE mosquitoes, even though in the U.S. mosquito-borne illnesses are not a grave threat, especially compared to other major public health crises like the opioid epidemic
By Dr. Mercola
In January 2018, lab-bred Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying wolbachia bacteria were released in South Miami, Florida. It was the first phase of the Miami-Dade County Mosquito Reduction Test Program, which targeted a one-half square-mile treatment area that received the altered mosquitoes and a corresponding control area within the city.
After initial monitoring, more wolbachia mosquitoes will be released into South Miami each week for several months1 — 666 million in all2 — with the ultimate goal of reducing mosquito populations and their potential for disease transmission.
The project is being conducted by the Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control & Habitat Management Division in collaboration with MosquitoMate, Inc., which created the technology. They’ve already been tested in Key West, Florida, (although due to Hurricane Irma, results of the tests are still pending),3 Kentucky, California and New York. Interest in releasing lab-made mosquitoes has peaked in recent years in response to the Zika virus scare, which has since petered out in the U.S.
If preventing Zika was their aim, government officials missed the boat on this one. Although Miami-Dade County was previously designated as a Zika cautionary area, that designation was removed June 2, 2017.4 No Zika virus disease cases have been reported with illness onset in 2018 in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), while in 2017 there were only four cases of Zika virus reported that were presumably acquired via local mosquitoes (two in Florida and two in Texas).5
If Zika virus isn’t even circulating in the area, it’s unclear how the government plans to measure the “success” of their mosquito release in order to definitively say whether or not it’s helping anything. It’s curious timing, to say the least, unless there are some unknown beneficiaries behind the scenes.
Interestingly, the Daily Mail reported, “MosquitoMate also collaborated with Verily Life Sciences, an offshoot of Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc., and Fresno County’s Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District, this past summer to release the bacteria-infected mosquitoes in Fresno, California.”6
What Are Lab-Made Wolbachia Mosquitoes?
MosquitoMate’s lab-bred male mosquitoes are infected with wolbachia bacteria, which is naturally occurring in up to 60 percent of insect species, but not in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. When the male wolbachia mosquitoes mate with female mosquitoes in the wild (which do not carry the bacteria), the resulting eggs do not hatch, which means the number of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the area should ultimately decrease.7
Male mosquitoes don't bite humans, but rather feed off flower nectar. Female mosquitoes are the ones that require meals of blood in order to develop and lay eggs. Their bites are at best an itchy nuisance and, at worst, can transmit serious diseases like malaria, yellow fever, dengue, encephalitis, chikungunya and West Nile virus. This is why MosquitoMate only releases male mosquitoes.
That said, in the case of the wolbachia mosquitoes, once they’re released (and they already have been), there’s no stopping them from mingling with wild mosquitoes. While this may help to reduce the spread of certain viruses (although this remains to be seen), it may also have other unintended, as yet unknown consequences.
Mosquitoes infected with wolbachia were also released in Brazil and Colombia in 2017 as part of The Eliminate Dengue research program, an $18 million project funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The altered mosquitoes were tested in open trials in dengue-affected communities since 2011, but not to the level as the 2017 tests, which released the insects in large, heavily populated urban areas. It took decades for researchers just to figure out how to introduce wolbachia into Aedes mosquito eggs, but once they did they started experimenting with releasing them into the wild.
Field tests suggest the bacteria spread to the vast majority of local mosquitoes, and as Eliminate Dengue said, is a “self-sustaining” system8 — which is both the point and the problem.
There’s No Failsafe With Wolbachia Bugs
In some cases, experimental GE mosquitoes have been genetically engineered to die in the absence of the antibiotic tetracycline (which is introduced in the lab in order to keep them alive long enough to breed). They were designed this way assuming they would not have access to that drug in the wild, a failsafe (though not a perfect one, especially since antibiotics are now showing up in waterways) to ensure that the GE insects could theoretically be removed from the environment if necessary.
This isn’t the case with wolbachia mosquitoes; now that they’re released, there’s no going back. While MosquitoMate’s wolbachia mosquito program involves only male insects, other programs exist that are releasing both females and males with the bacteria.
The World Mosquito Program is among them, which notes a potential problem with the male-only route: “This technique requires the release of a large number of male mosquitoes to reduce the overall mosquito population. As with insecticides, this technique would need to be reapplied over time as the population of mosquitoes gradually returns.”9
There’s also the potential ramifications to the ecosystem, which can occur whenever any species is removed or drastically reduced. While mosquitoes are primarily viewed as a nuisance and vector for deadly diseases like malaria, there may be “undesirable side effects” of eradicating them entirely, according to Florida University entomologist Phil Lounibos, Ph.D. BBC News reported:
“ … [Lounibos] says mosquitoes, which mostly feed on plant nectar, are important pollinators. They are also a food source for birds and bats while their young — as larvae — are consumed by fish and frogs. This could have an effect further up and down the food chain … He warns that mosquitoes could be replaced by an insect ‘equally, or more, undesirable from a public health viewpoint.’ Its replacement could even conceivably spread diseases further and faster than mosquitoes today.”
The World Mosquito Program operates under the premise that mosquitoes with wolbachiaare less able to transmit diseases to people. By releasing both male and female mosquitoes with wolbachia, the idea is to establish the bacteria in the entire mosquito population, which they say can occur over a small number of generations.
While male mosquitoes with wolbachia and female mosquitoes without it cannot successfully reproduce, male wolbachia mosquitoes that mate with female wolbachia mosquitoes produce offspring that also contain the bacteria. In addition, when female wolbachia mosquitoes mate with males without it, the offspring will still have wolbachia. According to the program:10
“[T]he World Mosquito Program's Wolbachia method is unique because it is self-sustaining and does not need to be continually reapplied, making it an affordable, self-sustaining, long-term solution.
Our method reduces the ability of mosquitoes to transmit dengue, Zika and chikungunya on to people, without suppressing mosquito populations and potentially affecting ecosystems. We are currently adapting our approach for use in large, urban environments and targeting a cost of US$1 per person.”
GE Mosquitoes Also on the Horizon
Biotech company Oxitec has also created and is seeking to release genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes in the U.S. to fight Zika. The mosquitoes have been genetically engineered to carry a "genetic kill switch," such that when they mate with wild female mosquitoes, their offspring inherit the lethal gene and cannot survive. To achieve this feat, Oxitec has inserted protein fragments from the herpes virus, E. coli bacteria, coral and cabbage looper moth into the insects.
The GE mosquitoes have proven lethal to native mosquito populations in tests in the Cayman Islands and Brazil, but as pointed out by Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston to USA Today, the GE mosquitoes have not been shown to reduce rates of diseases such as Zika (nor, as mentioned, is Zika virus widespread in the U.S.).11The GE mosquitoes may also prove to be too expensive for areas that are plagued with mosquito-borne diseases.
In addition, the potential exists for these foreign genes, which hop from one place to another, to infect human blood by finding entry through skin lesions or inhaled dust. Such transmission could potentially alter the human genome by creating "insertion mutations" and other unpredictable types of DNA damage.12
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which was previously reviewing the GE mosquitoes, initially stated that GE mosquitoes will not have a significant impact on the environment, but was reportedly interested in how the “genetic kill switch” would behave in the wild and whether it could humans or other animals.13
In October 2017, the FDA then transferred the power for regulatory approval over to the EPA, after apparently categorizing the GE mosquitoes as pesticides rather than drugs to prevent disease.14 The GE mosquitoes haven’t been released in the U.S. — yet. Although the FDA had approved their release in the Florida Keys as part of a 22-month trial, this is currently on hold, pending notice from the EPA. The switch could pave the way for their eventual release, however. Wired reported:15
“The switch from FDA to EPA oversight means an end to Oxitec’s endless waiting. That’s because the EPA is required by federal law to review new pesticides ‘as expeditiously as possible,’ which the statute defines as within 12 months after the submission of an application … [Derric Nimmo, an Oxitec scientist who leads the company’s work in the US] hopes to get permission to go ahead with releases in the next six months, just in time for … [the 2018] mosquito season.”
How Big of a Problem Are Mosquito-Borne Diseases in the US?
There is a major push to combat mosquito-borne diseases in the continental U.S. with the use of lab-made and GE mosquitoes. While it’s clear that some areas worldwide are in the midst of epidemic levels of mosquito-borne disease, such as malaria, with 91 countries experiencing ongoing transmission,16 is this the case in the U.S.? Quite the contrary. According to the CDC:
Dengue: “Dengue rarely occurs in the continental United States.”17
Chikungunya: In 2016 and 2017, “No locally-transmitted cases have been reported from U.S. states.”18
Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV): EEEV “is a rare illness in humans, and only a few cases are reported in the United States each year.”19
Zika virus: Only four cases of (presumably) locally acquired cases were reported in 2017.20
This isn’t to say that health threats from mosquitoes shouldn’t be taken seriously; they’re often described as the "world's deadliest animal” for a reason. However, in the U.S. mosquito-borne illnesses are not a grave threat, especially compared to other major public health crises like the opioid epidemic. Further, even if they were, there may be better methods to combat them than releasing questionable lab-made or GE mosquitoes.
It’s important to remember that malaria once occurred in the U.S. but was eliminated without the use of mosquito “pesticides.” How? Karl Tupper of Pesticide Action Network (PAN) North America said in a press release:21
"It was improved sanitation, environmental management and access to health care that beat malaria in the U.S. … Rising standards of living were also key — bringing things like screened windows to rural areas in the southern states of the U.S. where the malaria problem was the worst."
For now, it makes sense to avoid the past panic over mosquitoes, as was seen with the Zika fraud and, instead of releasing altered mosquitoes into the environment — with largely unknown consequences — take sensible measures to avoid getting bitten. Wear long sleeves and pants if you know you’ll be outdoors in a mosquito-prone area and use natural insect repellants (not synthetic chemical versions), like cinnamon leaf oil, citronella essential oil or catnip oil, if necessary.
If mosquitoes are bothering you in your backyard, a house fan can keep them away while you’re outdoors, as can the strategic planting of marigolds, which mosquitoes tend to stay away from.
Draining standing water, including pet bowls, gutters, garbage and recycling bins, spare tires, bird baths, children’s toys and anything else where even small amounts of water can pool, is also important to encourage mosquitoes to live elsewhere. This is where mosquitoes breed, so if you eliminate standing water you’ll eliminate many mosquitoes. Finally, try installing a bat house, as mosquitoes are one of their favorite meals.
MANILA: The Philippines said Friday it had suspended use of a landmark vaccine for the potentially deadly dengue virus after its manufacturer warned it could worsen the disease in some cases.
Friday, 1 Dec 2017
- AFP file pic
French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi announced Wednesday (Nov 29) that its world-first dengue vaccine could lead to more severe symptoms for people who had not previously been infected.
The Philippines has vaccinated more than 700,000 children with Dengvaxia since 2016 when it became the first country to start using it on a mass scale.
But it said Friday the programme had been suspended.
Sanofi had initially said its Dengvaxia vaccine was “critical” in the fight against dengue, the world’s most common mosquito-borne virus.
It said Wednesday that a new study has confirmed Dengvaxia’s benefits for “those who had prior infection”.
“For those not previously infected by dengue virus, however, the analysis found that in the longer term, more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection,” Sanofi said.
The Philippine government stressed it had not yet received reports of any problems with Dengvaxia.
“Currently, there is no reported case of severe dengue infection among those who received the vaccine,” its statement said.
More than 1,000 people in the Philippines died from dengue last year, out of 211,000 suspected cases, according to the government. - AFP
PETALING JAYA: The world’s first dengue vaccine Dengvaxia may have negative long-term effects on those who have never had dengue infection, says Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
Sunday, 3 Dec 2017
He said a six-year clinical study found that although the vaccine was effective for those with prior dengue infection, it was not so for those who had never been infected.
Dr Noor Hisham stressed that the Drug Control Authority is careful in the approval process of any pharmaceutical product registration.
“The Dengvaxia vaccine is not yet sold or used at any health facilities in Malaysia, be it in the public sector or in the private sector,” he said in a statement yesterday.
His statement came in response to the suspension of Dengvaxia by the Philippines, which has vaccinated more than 700,000 children with Dengvaxia since 2016.
The Philippines is among the countries, including Mexico, El Salvador, Brazil, Singapore and Costa Rica, where Dengvaxia has been approved for marketing.
On Wednesday, French manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur disclosed that those who had never been infected with dengue could develop a more severe case if given the vaccine and had a subsequent infection.
Dr Noor Hisham said the Drug Control Authority has only approved a conditional registration in November last year for a two-year clinical study on the efficacy and safety of the drug.
“It is vital that the vaccines and medicines that Malaysians use are safe, effective and of good quality,” said Dr Noor Hisham, adding that no individuals have tried using Dengvaxia in Malaysia so far.
He also urged the public to check if a pharmaceutical product is registered by checking its hologram seal and that it is labelled with a legitimate product registration number.
The registration status of the pharmaceutical product could also be checked on http://npra.moh.gov.my.
Sanofi Pasteur global medical head Dr Su-Peing Ng said they are working with health authorities to ensure that prescribers, vaccinators and patients are “fully informed of the new findings”.
“Sanofi will propose that national regulatory agencies update the prescribing information, known as the label in many countries, requesting that healthcare professionals assess the likelihood of prior dengue infection in an individual before vaccinating,” the statement read.
SINGAPORE: As Singapore steps up its fight against the Zika virus, so-called mosquito-repelling plants have been flying off the shelves in nurseries here.
Saturday, 10 September 2016 | MYT 5:12 PM
Mosquito- repelling plants sold at nurseries include (clockwise from upper row far left) Pelargonium, lemongrass, peppermint, citronella, lavender and rosemary.ST PHOTO: MARCUS TAN.
The bestsellers are the citronella-scented geranium (Pelargonium citrosum) and the rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) - both dubbed "mosquito plants" as their scents are believed to ward off mosquitoes.
An order of 100 pots of the Pelargonium citrosum that World Farm sells arrived last week and was sold out within a few days. It usually takes the nursery in Bah Soon Pah Road a week to sell the same quantity.
A new order of 300 of these plants that arrived from Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, on Thursday was snapped up within two hours.
At each of Far East Flora's four retail outlets, a sign hangs on a stand listing seven plants: Pelargonium graveolens, lemon balm, rosemary, citronella, lavender, lemongrass and peppermint - all touted to have mosquito-repellent properties.
According to the nursery's sales and marketing director Peter Cheok, the essential oils in these plants are common ingredients in mosquito-repelling sprays.
Far East Flora's weekly order of about 40 to 60 of each of these plants has more than doubled on the back of "swift sales", he says.
Despite this, new batches that arrived earlier this week are running low in stock.
Such plants are also sold out or running low at Candy Floriculture in Thomson Road and Katong Flower Shop in New Upper Changi Road. New shipments have recently arrived or are on the way.
But how effective are these plants?
Botanist Shawn Lum says that while there is some evidence that selected plant essential oils and other compounds have insect-repellent properties, this does not necessarily mean that having the plants in one's compound will repel mosquitoes.
Dr Lum, a senior lecturer from the Asian School of the Environment at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), says: "Some repellent compounds are only released when the leaves are crushed or burnt."
Even then, their effect may not last long.
Organic farmer Alexius Yeo, 31, who grew a mosquito plant and six pots of lemongrass in the garden of his parents' terrace house last year, found that when he crushed the leaves of the mosquito plant and lemongrass and rubbed them all over his skin, the mosquitoes stayed away longer.
The director of CarbonInQ, which runs nature-based education programmes, says: "But the smell went off and, after a while, the mosquitoes came back."
Professor Jorgen Schlundt, a food safety expert from the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at NTU, says that, so far, there has been no scientific evidence that mosquito-repellent plants can bring about a significant drop in a person's risk of getting Zika or dengue.
The former director at the World Health Organisation adds that in most urban areas of South-east Asia, the main breeding source of the Aedes mosquito, which spreads Zika and dengue, is containers storing water for household use.
Assistant Professor Miao Yansong from NTU's School of Biological Sciences points out that the effectiveness of different types of herbs as a mosquito repellent can also vary between mosquito species.
The experts say that the five-step Mozzie Wipeout by the National Environment Agency is a more effective way of reducing mosquito breeding.
Among the steps are removing water in plant pot plates and trays and loosening the hardened soil in plant pots where stagnant water can accumulate.
Dr Lum adds: "That said, there is no harm in growing 'mosquito-repelling plants' at home."
Either way, some businesses are hoping to ride on the current demand.
Candy Floriculture plans to sell a chemical solution called PlantZom to customers at $30 (RM90) a bottle.
Invented three years ago by two chemists from a homegrown chemical formulation company, it has been offered through a spraying service to hotels, condominiums and companies.
Edwin Chan, 44, one of the chemists who invented it, claims that when sprayed on plants, the chemical develops an invisible web, which traps and kills mosquitoes within six hours after they land on the plant.
PlantZom, he claims, lingers around longer - at least 14 days, unlike conventional insecticides, which last only about three days.
He says: "I am confident that it will sell well." – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
Zika Spraying Enriches Chemical Companies While Endangering Public Health
When Puerto Rican residents learned that the US government was planning to use this banned toxic chemical there, they took to the streets in protest. They declared victory, but US residents haven't been so lucky. Those living in these East coast locations are being targeted with a chemical that's a neurotoxin and likely carcinogen. 14 September 2016
Story at-a-glance
Models warned 200 million Americans would become infected with Zika this summer, but the two states with the highest rates of Zika infections, New York and Florida, have only had 625 and 507 cases respectively so far
Naled insecticide, which is being aerially sprayed in Florida and elsewhere, can have adverse effects on your nervous system. Organophosphates are also linked with shortened pregnancies, lowered IQ and increased risk of ADD
New York and California are using pyrethroid pesticides to combat Zika-carrying mosquitoes; ingredients are known endocrine disruptors with neurotoxic and potentially carcinogenic properties, and may be harmful to the fetal brain
By Dr. Mercola
As you may recall, the Zika virus made big headlines back in January and February when the Brazilian government blamed Zika-carrying mosquitoes for an uptick in reports of microcephaly,1,2 a condition in which babies are born with unusually small heads.
Like many other nations, the U.S. overreacted to the news by increasing states' mosquito eradication efforts. 3 Some early models estimated that 200 million Americans, about 60 percent of the U.S. population, would become infected with Zika this summer4 — estimates that were clearly vastly overblown.
Sounds just like President Bush who 11 years ago claimed that over 200 million would not only get infected with Bird Flu but would actually die from it. They must have figured most people forgot about this and it was time for another scare to sell more chemicals and vaccines.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics5 reveal we've come nowhere near such numbers.
The two states with the highest rates of laboratory-confirmed Zika infections, New York and Florida, have had 625 and 507 cases respectively so far. New York accounts for 23 percent of all U.S. cases; Florida accounts for 19 percent of the total.
It's worth noting though that the vast majority of all Zika cases in the U.S. occurred during travel elsewhere. Florida alone had 35 cases of locally-acquired infections. All other states report zero locally-acquired cases.
Among the U.S. territories, Puerto Rico was worst beset, with 13,791 locally-acquired cases as of August 31, 2016. The U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa report 221 and 47 locally-acquired cases respectively.
Call for DDT Has (Fortunately) Been Left Unanswered
As the Zika scare grew to a fever pitch, groups like the Manhattan Institute and various journalists for prominent media outlets started calling for the return of DDT6to address the mosquito problem. For example, in a June 6 article, The New York Post wrote:7
"The Zika virus outbreak makes it clearer than ever: It's time to end the ban on DDT — a ban that was never sensible in the first place, but now is downright unjustifiable."
Never mind the fact that DDT passes freely through the placenta during pregnancy,8where it gains direct access to the developing fetus and its brain.9 DDT has also been linked to decreased fertility, premature delivery, Alzheimer's10 and even microcephaly,11 making this recommendation about as ignorant as it gets.12
Fortunately, the ban on DDT has not been lifted. However, there's no shortage of other dangerous insecticides on the market, and they've been heavily employed in many states.
Florida and New York Being Heavily Sprayed
n Miami-Dade County, Florida, the aerial spraying campaign against Zika-carrying mosquitoes has been referred to as a "blitz" that "could be one for the record books if the [CDC] records it as a success."13 The area began spraying the insecticide Naled from low-flying planes on August 4.
Naled is banned in the European Union (EU), and when residents in Puerto Rico found out the CDC was going to use the chemical against Zika-carrying mosquitoes there, the streets filled with protesters. Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla finally forced the CDC to take the shipments back.14
Concerned residents took to the streets in Wynwood, Miami, as well, but it didn't have much of an impact.
Neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn, New York, were doused with Duet15 and Anvil insecticides from trucks on the nights of August 31 and September 1, 2016, to combat mosquitoes known to carry either the Zika or West Nile virus (Asian Tiger, Aedes Aegypti and Culex mosquitoes).16,17 Duet has also been used in Orange County, California.18
Duetcontains two pyrethroid pesticides, Sumithrin and Prallethrin, plus a synergistic compound called piperonyl butoxide (PBO), which boosts the effectiveness of the former two.
Sumethrin is an endocrine disruptor, neurotoxin and likely carcinogen, and PBO has been shown to be harmful to the fetal brain, causing "profound developmental defects in children exposed in utero."
According to recent research, children living in areas exposed to annual aerial spraying of pyrethroids (such as Duet and Anvil) have a 25 percent higher risk of autism compared to areas where mosquito control is done primarily through pellets distributed on the ground.
This suggests the method of application can make a big difference when it comes to human health.20,21 In another study, exposure to pyrethroids during the third trimester increased the chances of the child having autism by 87 percent.2
Low-flying helicopters also released pellets of Altosid and VectoBac over four New York City boroughs earlier this summer, including Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and The Bronx. As noted by The Vaccine Reaction:23
"What might be of particular concern to the New York City's residents is the ironic possibility that using these chemicals against mosquitoes to control the perceived threat of the Zika virus could actually have the effect of creating a serious local health crisis where there was previously none.
Aerial Spraying Is Not an Effective Strategy for Controlling Zika
Many have also argued that aerial sprayings against the Zika-carrying mosquito Aedes aegypti is futile, exposing the population to toxic chemicals for no good reason.24
These tiny black and white striped mosquitoes have a very limited range of flight, and since it's so difficult to catch them airborne, insecticidal sprays and foggers are mostly useless for controlling them.25 Reporting on recent research, WebMD writes:26
"Female mosquitoes can transmit the Zika virus to their eggs and offspring, and this may make it harder to contain outbreaks, a new lab study suggests. Control programs that focus only on adult mosquitoes may not halt Zika's spread, the researchers warned …
'Spraying affects adults, but it does not usually kill the immature forms — the eggs and larvae,' said [study co-author Dr. Robert] Tesh. As a result, 'spraying will reduce transmission, but it may not eliminate the virus' …"
CDC Relies on Unpublished Data to Support Aerial Spraying
Curiously, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden defended the use of aerial insecticide sprayings in a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) citing a non-peer-reviewed presentation by a New Orleans mosquito control board employee named Brendan Carter.
According to Carter, aerial disbursement of "ultra-low volumes of insecticide" reduced caged Aedes aegypti by more than 90 percent in a New Orleans field trial. However, as reported by Kaiser Health News:27
"Carter earned his master's degree in 2014 from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine … Even so, other experts in mosquito-borne diseases were unconvinced when asked about Carter's finding as described in Frieden's commentary for JAMA. 'I know of no published reports that support this figure,' said Durland Fish, a Yale University professor emeritus of microbial diseases as well as a professor of forestry and environmental studies there.
Fish worked with public officials in Dominica in 2014 to counter chikungunya virus, another disease spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. 'This is a domestic mosquito, meaning they live inside the house — in closets, under the bed, in the sink. Spraying outside won't be very effective,' he said."
Micro-Mist May Work by Entering Your Home, But Is That Wise?
Many others agree with Fish's conclusion, noting there's virtually no scientific evidence to support the use of aerial spraying to control Aedes mosquitoes. However, Joseph Conlon, spokesman for the American Mosquito Control Association, is not on that list.
According to Conlon, the idea that aerial spraying against Aedes mosquitoes doesn't work is an outdated notion, since Naled can now be sprayed in a micro-fine mist, "capable of wafting into homes through screen doors and bathroom vents."28 But what about the residents, including infants and pregnant women, inside those homes who then breathe in this super-fine mist?
Naled, an organophospate insecticide is known to interfere with cholinesterase activity, an enzyme essential for the proper working of your nervous system. Organophosphates as a group are also linked with shortened pregnancies, lowered IQ and increased risk of attention deficit disorder (ADD).29
According to the Extension Toxicology Network, "Naled is moderately to highly toxic by ingestion, inhalation and dermal adsorption. Vapors or fumes of Naled are corrosive to the mucous membranes lining the mouth, throat and lungs, and inhalation may cause severe irritation."30
It is also readily absorbed through your skin and should be immediately washed off if contact occurs. High temperatures and/or UV light enhances its toxicity — an added concern when sprayed in hot and sunny areas like Florida.
I live in Florida full-time now and this is a significant issue for me personally. This is one of the reasons why I use my infrared sauna three times a week to help me detox not only from these admitted exposures but also from all the other ones that we have no idea of but nevertheless have exposure to.
Naled Decimates Bee Populations in South Carolina
Naled was also sprayed in Dorchester County, South Carolina, in the morning hours between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on August 28, 2016 — with devastating consequences. In one Summerville apiary, 46 hives totaling 2.5 million bees died that same morning. Many other beekeepers also claim massive losses. As reported by The Washington Post:31
"[T]o the bee farmers, the reason is already clear. Their bees had been poisoned by Dorchester's own insecticide efforts, casualties in the war on disease-carrying mosquitoes … Given the current concerns of West Nile virus and Zika … Dorchester decided to try something different … It marked a departure from Dorchester County's usual ground-based efforts. For the first time, an airplane dispensed Naled in a fine mist, raining insect death from above …"
Naled is known to be highly toxic to bees, which is why counties that use it will typically spray it at night, when honey bees are not out foraging. Provided they have sufficient warning, beekeepers can also shield their hives to prevent exposure. According to Dorchester County administrator Jason Ward, all but one beekeeper on the county's contact list was notified of the spraying.
However, many local beekeepers were not on the county's list to begin with, and the county only requested a more complete list from the Lowcountry Beekeepers Association after the fact. In a WCSC-TV interview, local beekeeper Juanita Stanley said: "Had I known, I would have been camping on the steps doing whatever I had to do, screaming, 'No you can't do this.'"
Florida Governor Has Financial Stake in Zika Mosquito Control
Considering the limited risks of Zika and the significant risks of aerial insecticides on critical pollinators like bees and human health, one wonders what's really driving the decision process. When you start to dig, you'll often find financial incentives. In Florida, people are now wondering whether Governor Rick Scott may have a personal stake in unleashing chemical warfare.
On June 23, 2016, Scott allocated $26.2 million in state emergency funds to combat Zika. As it turns out, an undisclosed conflict of interest could potentially have influenced this generous release of funds. According to Florida Bulldog:32
"… Rick Scott has an undisclosed financial interest in a Zika mosquito control company in which his wife, Florida First Lady Ann Scott, owns a multi-million dollar stake through a private investment firm she co-owns. The company is Mosquito Control Services LLC of Metairie, LA. According to its website,
MCS "is a fully-certified team of mosquito control experts — licensed throughout the Gulf Coast, including Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida … It is not known whether MCS, whose services include monitoring and aerial spraying, stands to benefit from Florida government funds … MCS did not respond to two requests for comment."
Is Zika Being Hyped to Save Toxic Insecticides From Being Banned?
In a recent Health Nut News article,33 Erin Elizabeth pieces together a long list of events and players suggesting the real reason for the Zika hype may be related to the fact that the primary chemical weapons against Zika — Naled and Malathion — are both up for re-evaluation at the EPA under a special provision of the Endangered Species Act. If found to harm endangered species, they will be banned — unless there’s sufficient political pressure to keep them on the market, that is.
Moreover, the Clean Water Act stipulates you must have a NPDES permit34 in order to be “allowed” to discharge pollutants into U.S. waters. Insecticides are a significant water pollutant, and mosquito control applications that result in water discharges must have an NPDES permit, which includes limits on the discharges and has certain monitoring and reporting requirements to ensure the chemical does not hurt water quality and human health.
Should Naled and/or Malathion be found harmful to endangered species, operators would not likely be able to get an NPDES permit for the chemicals even if they somehow were not outright banned under the Endangered Species Act.
Interestingly enough, the American Mosquito Control Association has lobbied Congress to pass HR 935, which would exempt mosquito control operations from the NPDES permit requirement altogether, allowing them to discharge whatever chemical without limits, monitoring or reporting requirements.
When Congress remained unreceptive to the idea, HR 935 was suddenly renamed the “Zika Control Act.” Once Congress comes back from recess, they could potentially be forced to vote yes on this disastrous bill if there’s sufficient panic about Zika.
The Senate is also scheduled to vote on whether to set aside another $1.1 BILLION in funding to fight Zika — a virus that so far has not seriously harmed a single person in the U.S., and has not conclusively been proven responsible for the microcephaly cases in Brazil either. In short, this whole thing appears to be little more than a gift to the chemical industry at the expense of public health. As noted by Erin:
“The American Mosquito Control Association and the chemical companies can only benefit from huge hype and fear surrounding Zika. They NEED the populace to fear Zika so that Congress is forced to approve a terrible bill that would pollute/erode the Clean Water Act and eventually allow for Malathion and Naled [to] continue to be used despite data showing their effect on endangered species.”
Some States Now Offer Free Mosquito Repellents
In related news, in addition to boosting mosquito sprayings across entire neighborhoods, some states have decided to hand out free mosquito repellents. Universal Studios, Walt Disney World and SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, now offer free bug repellents to visitors35 and, in Texas, pregnant women on Medicaid are eligible to receive free DEET mosquito repellent at pharmacies without a prescription.36
However, DEET is by no means harmless. On the contrary, DEET has been shown to harm brain and nervous system function and is so poisonous that even the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says you should wash it off your skin when you return indoors, avoid breathing it in and not spray it directly on your face. Why focus on distributing a highly toxic chemical to pregnant women rather than giving them something that's actually safe?
Neem-based products, for example, are a viable alternative that can keep mosquitos at bay without risking your and your baby's health. Citronella oil and geraniol can also be used, and both are safe for the whole family, including infants. Products containing either 20 percent picaridin or 30 percent oil of lemon and eucalyptus have also been shown to outperform DEET in tests.
Picaridin resembles the natural compound piperine, an essential oil in black pepper. Lemon eucalyptus oil and picaridin are not actual repellents; they primarily work by masking the environmental cues that mosquitoes use to locate their target. Side effects of both picaridin and lemon eucalyptus include potential skin or eye irritation, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states picaridin should not be used on children under age 3. Still, they're both likely FAR safer than DEET!
Biological Warfare Is a Risky Game
Are we doing the right thing by waging war against pests with toxic chemicals? It needs to be understood that there's a price to pay, both in human and environmental health. We're poisoning our world, and ourselves, in the name of protecting public health. There's something inherently wrong with that position. Some are quick to say we have no other options. But this isn't necessarily true.
In the short-term, there are safer options to guard against mosquitos than aerial insecticides and topical DEET. But we also need to take a much wider view. What's needed is the political and societal will to make necessary changes, and this involves fully embracing ecologically sound, regenerative methods of agriculture. Why? Because when nature is in balance, pests fail to gain the upper hand. They still exist, but they're kept in check naturally.
It may not be as effective as releasing a potent toxin, but if we keep going the way we're headed, we're just going to encounter more of the same problems. Is it really worth putting our children's health and future at risk? Is it worth decimating pollinators, on which our food supply depends? I believe the answer is no, but at the very least, we need a more open discussion about what we're doing and what the options are. We also need to implement more farsighted solutions.
Again, this is all based on the likely flawed assumption that what the media, CDC and public health authorities are saying about Zika is true. In my view, this is merely a repeat of the Bird Flu Hoax, which is a New York Times best-selling book I previously wrote. They just fast-forwarded the clock a decade and hoped they could use the fear-based tactics to push their pernicious agenda yet again.
PETER ILLICIEV/FIOCRUZ
