DOST at the forefront of Innovation in the Philippines

"Innovate or DIE"

Recent news at ABS CBN featured DOST saying that it a department at the forefront of innovation in the country.  Its efforts though has been largely unnoticed.

Silently, it has been sparking many important development among inventors and entrepreneurs.  We have a student now at the entrep elective whose job is to help inventors get on with new ventures and businesses.  One of their initiatives now is fighting dengue. (Take note:  it should be the Department of Health who should take the cudgels for this!)  They had this idea of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes (whose offspring will lose wings and lose ability to fly - with Oxytec) and the anti OL kit.  In some areas, they were able to bring down the cases of dengue from 300 to 0.  And the OL kit only costs Pl0.00@ wow.

That is why Sen. Lacson wants more budget for DOST.

Congratulations to DOST and to RBF.  More power.

"New ideas create more and better new products and services; create more wealth."

DOST at the Forefront of Fight Against Dengue - The Anti OL Kit

"Innovate or DIE"

I just watched a TV clip on one of the DOST's  initiative to fight aedis aegypti, the carrier of dengue (H fever) virus.  It is on top of the use of GMO mosquitoes who will deliver wingless offspring.  This one is ingenious and cost effective (does it really work)

It is called an anti OL kit (vs eggs and larvae of mosquitoes) or OL trap.   It consist of a black plastic cup (about 500 ml). (It is black because mosquitoes flock around black objects., 250 ml of water; OL concoction (from DOST probably an insecticidal ingredient) a lawanit paddle. (about 8 x 2 inches)

Steps:

l.  Put 250ml water into the  black container. That is about l/2 of the cup.

2.  Place the concoction.

3.  Submerge the lawanit paddle into the water.  The lawanit paddle should protude outside the cup.  The cup becomes moist with the water + insecticide. Put the cup outside the house where it is safe from rain and sunshine.,

4.  The black cup and the moist paddle tainted with insecticide attracts mosquitoes to land on the paddle, and lay eggst too.

5.  Regularly inspect the paddle and brush off dead mosquitoes and eggs.

6.  After a week, throw away the contents on the ground.  Repeat #l to 3.

This should be cheaper than a genetically modified mosquitoes which require thousands of dollar in purchase (And besides people are against GMO).

This is a case where really, if we do not innovate, we DIE (from Dengue)  I invite our student who works at DOST to comment on these DOST initiative

5.  Periodically

"New ideas create more and better new products and services; create more wealth."

Releasing Genetically Modified Aedis Aegypti Mosquitoes to Control Dengue?

"Innovate or DIE" "New ideas create more and better new products and services; create more wealth."

DOST has plans, together with a science research UK company (Oxitec) to release genetically modified mosquitoes that are carriers of dengue, to control spread of dengue. The resultant offspring would not be able to fly and mate. The experiment will cost tens of thousands of dollars and the results will be known after six months. This is being evaluated by DOST. We do not know how effective will the move be? What do you think?  What are other ways of controlling dengue? Is it worth the expense? Is it worth trying?