The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has joined hands with the Gwalior-based Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE) to frame a three-pronged campaign against dengue fever, which afflicted 2,838 people last year and killed 34.

The scientists use a chemical to "attract" mosquitoes carrying the dengue-causing virus to specially treated water in which their eggs cannot hatch.

"Dengue is caused by the aedis aegypti species of mosquito, which sucks human blood when it is time for it to lay eggs," K. Shekhar, director of DRDE, told a press conference here Friday.

"To lay eggs the mosquito looks for a favourable place which it recognises by following attractants, a kind of scent, released by the larvae of the same species," he said.

Scientists at DRDE have successfully used "chemical C21 Hydrocarbon", one such attractant, which was mixed with water containing a "growth regulator" that is already commercially available.

"The mosquito is lured into laying eggs in the water but the eggs do not hatch because of the growth regulators," said Shekhar.

"The 'attracticide' method was tested in various areas of New Delhi, especially those areas which recorded the highest number of dengue cases last year," said MCD Commissioner Rakesh Mishra.

"The results have been very encouraging and the toxicity levels have been gauged to be even lower than the insecticides which are already in use."

Shekhar said: "The attractant will be available in the market at affordable prices as soon as we get the patent rights registered, which is being processed."

Personal care is the focus of the second level of the campaign, wherein DRDE has developed the "diethyl phenyl acetamide" (DEPA) multi-insect repellant lotion for Indian Army personnel.

This keeps away even the female anopheles mosquito, which causes malaria, according to DRDE.

"The army rejected this version for some reason and so we developed a spray version of the same. The army is soon expected to place a huge order for this product," Shekhar said.

The third level of the campaign focuses on the diagnosis of the disease.

"Chances of survival for dengue patients is more if the disease is diagnosed in the first two to three days," said a DRDE official. DRDE has developed a diagnosis kit for this purpose.

"This breakthrough in tackling dengue is a result of seven years of research. Now some foreign firms too have shown interest in this project," said Shekhar.

DRDE is one of the leading laboratories of the Defence Research and Development Organisation that specializes in research to counter biological warfare and diseases prevalent in inhospitable areas where India's armed forces operate.

--Indo-Asian News Service