Mosquitoes key to ending Zika threat

Countries battling the Zika virus should consider new ways to curb disease-carrying mosquitoes, including testing the release of genetically modified insects and bacteria that stop their eggs hatching, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

“Given the magnitude of the zika crisis, WHO encourages affected countries and their partners to boost the use of both old and new approaches to mosquito control as the most immediate line of defence,” it said.

The WHO also highlighted the potential of releasing sterile irradiated male mosquitoes, a technique that has been developed at the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).