China reports 8 more Chikungunya fever cases as study finds ways to prevent mosquito breeding

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) – China on Thursday reported more cases of Chikungunya fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease, as a recent study discovered a mechanism that prevents mosquitoes from breeding by disrupting the male mosquito's hearing, making it unable to locate a female.

Eight cases of Chikungunya fever were detected in the southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, local authorities announced, according to state-run Xinhua News.

The new cases were found in the Qingxiu district of Nanning City. The Qingxiu district center for disease control and prevention said that all patients showed mild symptoms and they had been treated effectively.

A notice from the center announced that the district has initiated special pest control work to stop the spread of Chikungunya fever.

Separately, a research team led by a Japanese professor recently announced that it has found a way to halt mosquito reproduction by hindering the male mosquito's hearing, making it unable to locate a female.

According to the Mainichi, the group led by neuroscience professor Azusa Kamikouchi from Nagoya University said this method could be used to eliminate mosquito-borne diseases in the future.

Researchers studied the antennae of male yellow fever mosquitoes, which help them locate females by matching their wingbeat frequency. They found that a neurotransmitter called octopamine controls the antennae's movement.

When octopamine was removed or blocked, the antennae couldn’t sync with female flight tones, barring the males from mating. The findings of the study were published in the American scientific journal iScience.

Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease, is becoming more common, with approximately 240,000 cases reported worldwide since the beginning of the year.

As of July, the virus had been detected in 16 countries and territories in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe, resulting in 90 deaths.

In Asia, the southern Chinese province of Guangdong experienced the most cases of the viral disease this year, with nearly 8,000.