In the study published in the journal ‘PLOS ONE,’ introducing hungry minnows — small freshwater fish — into bodies of water where mosquitoes breed, can dramatically decrease the number of adult mosquitoes, especially those capable of carrying the West Nile disease, the virus of which is spread by infected mosquitoes.
Malaria is a life-threatening mosquito-borne blood disease caused by a Plasmodium parasite.It is transmitted to humans through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito.
Once
an infected mosquito bites a human, the parasites multiply in the
host’s liver before infecting and destroying red blood cells.Nigeria suffers the world’s greatest malaria burden, with approximately 51 million cases and 207,000 deaths reported annually (approximately 30 per cent of the total malaria burden in Africa), while 97 per cent of the total population is at risk of malaria infection.
Although, the use of insecticides remain one of the most effective ways to get rid of mosquitoes as well as other flying and crawling insects, researchers have found a cheap and pesticide-free way to combat mosquito populations. However, previous studies show that pesticides are poisons and, unfortunately, they can harm more than just the ‘pests’ at which they are targeted. They are toxic, and exposure to pesticides can not only cause a number of health effects, but is linked to a range of serious illnesses and diseases in humans, from respiratory problems to cancer.
The
research team introduced minnow fish into ten treatment reservoirs and
also monitored an additional six non-treated reservoirs, ‘The
HealthSite’ reported.
The
findings showed that treatment ponds suppressed levels of mosquito
larva over each season compared to controls with a model-predicted 114
per cent decrease in larva density within treatment ponds.