Author: Jacqueline Chin
Jacqueline Chin
Jacqueline is a multidisciplinary scientist with extensive experience in conducting research and data analysis. She is also an avid reader and writer who aims to craft articles that inform, engage, and impact her community.
Singapore’s Project Wolbachia began as a small-scale project involving the release of male mosquitoes that carry a natural parasite called Wolbachia, which prevents the eggs of female mosquitoes from hatching. This approach led to a dramatic 90% reduction in the A. aegypti mosquito population and a 77% decrease in dengue cases in the targeted areas. The project has been expanding steadily since its inception.
Recently, with a striking increase in dengue cases over the past ten weeks, Singapore’s government has urged for immediate action. In just the past week, the project released a further 350,000 Wolbachia-carrying males in an area and are planning to extend this initiative to four more regions within this first quarter. This means stepping up to produce a whopping 11 million male Wolbachia mosquitoes weekly and coverage from 26% to 35% of all households in Singapore.
A Singapore study using electroencephalography showed that infants who spent more time on screens had increased electrocortical activity and worse executive functions later in life, such as memory, attention, and inhibition, than those who had less screen exposure. The researchers warned that screen time in early life might affect children’s learning and behaviour.
