Gamma irradiation machine to help eradicate Aedes aegypti mosquito, fruit flies

WESTERN BUREAU:

There are major plans in place to eradicate the island’s population of fruit fly and Aedes aegypti mosquito through a new state-of-the-art gamma irradiation machine located at the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences (ICENS).

This revelation was made by Charles Grant, director general at ICENS, who shared that this project is a joint venture between the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport and The University of the West Indies.

Grant, who was speaking at the 11th Tephritid Workers of the Western Hemisphere meeting on Monday, shared that Jamaica’s first multipurpose gamma irradiation facility will be installed next month through assistance from the International Atomic Agency.

According to the International Irradiation Association, “gamma irradiation is a form of electromagnetic energy characterised by its deep penetration and low-dose rates. Gamma irradiators are powered by Cobalt-60, effectively killing microorganisms throughout the product and its packaging with very little temperature effect and no residues”.

With this new technology on the island come July, Grant noted that it should be no surprise the first projects will target two of the island’s biggest pests, as they affect both the health and agricultural ministries.

It has almost become expected that Jamaica’s health sector will be affected by an influx of dengue fever cases yearly. This, Grant explained, is primarily why major focus will be placed on lessening the diseases spread by the Aedes aegypti by sterilising the male mosquitoes.

This will be done through the sterile insect technique, “where we sterilise only male mosquitoes that we then release into the wild”, said Grant, while speaking with The Gleaner on the sidelines of Monday’s event.

The technique is believed to be effective as the mosquitoes will be unable to produce offspring. This will eventually help in the reduction of the mosquito population, while slowing down the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses.

However, the director general stressed that the technique will be added to the country’s current mosquito eradication efforts.

“I must mention that this has to be done in conjunction with the current eradication methodologies that we are applying. It is not going to be done on its own. We won’t stop fogging and we still have to ensure that we keep our areas clean,” said Grant.

At the same time, he said the same technology will be used in the agricultural sector to monitor, and hopefully cease the negative effects of fruit flies in the ecosystem.

“We will use the same technique that I mentioned for the mosquitoes where you radiate the males only, so this means there will be no chance of anything being passed down; they can’t breed up. There will be no super mosquitoes or no super fruit flies,” he told The Gleaner.

“They will never get to reproduce and there will be no damage to their genetics, other than their reproductive capacity.”

In the meantime, Grant said emphasis will also be placed on saving the local mangoes from fruit flies as there are hopes to boost the country’s export market.

“This is a socioeconomic issue, as well as an agricultural one, so hopefully it will change how our agriculture impacts our economy,” he said.

“This will help us to develop climate change resistant crops to help our food security in the future. So, we will produce crops that are drought-resistant and resistant to certain pests that we suffer from right now.”

When asked to speak on the safety of the technology, Grant told The Gleaner that gamma irradiation has no negative effects on human beings.

“Gamma irradiation leaves no trace; it is like sunlight. Because these insects are very sensitive to radiation, it kills them while leaving the fruit intact, so you will have no trace of radioactive treatment.”

rochelle.clayton@gleanerjm.com