Brazil to kill Zika through radiation - from TRUNEWS

(TRUNEWS) Brazil plans to use radiation to kill mosquitos that carry Zika virus.

The “irradiator” device has been applied in Portugal to control fruit flies, according to The Telegraph.  The International Atomic Energy Agency will ship the device to South America.

It’s a birth control method, the equivalent of family planning for humans,” said Kostas Bourtzis, a molecular biologist with the IAEA’s insect pest control laboratory.

The gamma rays will work by sterilizing millions of male mosquitos

The Zika virus has been linked to an increase in a birth defect found most notably in Brazil called microcephaly, although it has not been definitively proven.  Microcephaly causes babies to have small brains, and impairs their development.

Sueli Maria (obscured) holds her seven-day-old daughter Milena, who has microcephaly, at a hospital in Recife, Brazil, January 28, 2016. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

In response, the government has called for women to avoid becoming pregnant. The result has been a growing number of abortions.

Brazil has also sprayed massive amounts of pesticide around the country by air, but has denied the chemical pyriproxyfen involvement in causing the virus, as reported by TRUNEWS.

A few years ago genetically modified mosquitos were released into Brazil to stop the spread of dengue fever, and some experts believe that could be a factor in the rise of Zika.

The Zika virus was first discovered in Africa in 1947, but the sudden uptick has caused panic.  There is concern the epidemic may cause people to stay away from the upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio.

The disease has spread to more than 30 countries.

In addition to the radiation, there is another measure being considered which will involve genetically altering mosquitos so that their offspring die before adulthood.

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