What are these diseases?
Dengue, zika, chikungunya and yellow fever are viral diseases transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes.
How are they transmitted?
These viruses are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female mosquitoes. The affected symptomatic and asymptomatic persons are the carriers and main multipliers of the viruses, and the mosquitoes become infected when they bite them. Zika is also transmitted from person to person through sexual intercourse and from mother to child during pregnancy.
The only method to control or prevent the transmission of these viruses until now has been to avoid the bite of vector mosquitoes using personal and house protection, and to eliminate container habitats that collect water, which serve as breeding sites for these mosquitoes.
In case of symptoms such as high fever and joint pain, the affected person should see a health professional and should not self-medicate.
What does Fundación Mundo Sano do for mosquito-borne diseases?
To combat mosquito-borne diseases, we work on prevention, research and awareness raising, developing programs and projects aligned with our three pillars: translational research, knowledge dissemination and public-private cooperation.
For more than a decade, we have carried out various actions aimed at raising awareness and preventing diseases transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes.
Regarding prevention, we have implemented the mosquito monitoring and surveillance program in localities of the provinces of Salta, Chaco, Formosa and Misiones, and we have established cooperation partnerships with municipalities in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Salta and Córdoba to train local agents in the deployment of ovitrap networks, thus replicating the standardized protocols used in our offices.
We have developed programs for monitoring insecticide resistance in urban Aedes aegypti populations with the Centre for Pest and Insecticide Research (CIPEIN). Moreover, we conducted studies of vertical transmission of arboviruses through an agreement with the Dr Julio Maiztegui National Human Viral Disease Institute belonging to the National Laboratories and Health Institutes Administration (ANLIS).
At the same time, we give awareness raising talks about diseases transmitted by mosquitoes aimed at students who attend the early grades of primary schools near the places where we have offices (Pampa del Indio, Puerto Iguazú, Clorinda and Tartagal) and we raise awareness about prevention among business employees from the areas.