In a bid to avoid a repeat of last year’s chikungunya epidemic in Gujarat, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) is collaborating with Oxford Insect Technologies (Oxitec) Ltd., a spinout company of Oxford University to understand the burden of neglected diseases in India in general and Gujarat in particular.
Both the institutions have recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for conducting studies and promoting genetic technology for insect control in Gujarat.
Oxitec has developed a proprietory technology platform known as Release of Insects carrying a Dominant Lethal (RIDL) to provide effective control of agricultural pest insects and mosquitoes that carry human disease.
The company is exploring the possibility of implementing RIDL as a cost-effective solution to Aedes-borne diseases in Gujarat through a sustained release of genetically sterile male mosquitoes to crash the mosquito population.
“The purpose of releasing the sterile male mosquitoes is to control the wild mosquito population. Males live only around 10 days or so in the wild and even when they go on looking for more mates, the next generation will not come up. Moreover, only female mosquitoes bite humans and even if the female will lay eggs, they will not survive beyond the pupae stage,” said Dileep Mavalankar, a faculty member at IIM-A.
Oxitec’s RIDL technology, based on advances in molecular biology and genetics at Oxford University adds to the performance of the well-established Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). “It is a safe, environment-friendly and easy to implement method Our goal is to make SIT more cost effective and applicable,” said Vasan.
According to Vasan, the capex for such a mass rearing facility in Gujarat will come to the tune of Rs 40-80 crore.
“The project would require an investment of roughly $ 3 per person per annum and we assure 97 per cent results in eradicating vector borne diseases,” added Vasan.
Successful trials have already been carried out in France, Malaysia, UK and USA. In 2006, Gujarat witnessed around 118,846 suspected chikungunya cases from 22 districts.
