EHI’s Vector-Borne Diseases Research Programme conducts field and laboratory research to gain a better understanding of vector-borne diseases that pose a threat to Singapore, and to develop tools for risk interventions.

Vector Control and Surveillance Tools

The programme constantly explores new and safe tools for Singapore’s vector control programme. It is currently studying the feasibility of using Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti males to help suppress the Aedes mosquito population in Singapore, for further reduction of the risk of dengue. Wolbachia are natural occurring bacteria present in more than 60% of insects. However, Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of dengue does not carry the bacteria. When female mosquitoes from the field, which do not carry Wolbachia, mate with males that carry Wolbachia, the eggs derived from these matings do not hatch. Theoretically, release of males with introduced Wolbachia, could lead to a reduction in the population of Aedes in the field.

Please click here for more information on Wolbachia technology.

Previously, the team developed the Gravitrap that has enabled the capture of both Aedes female adult mosquitoes and their eggs. Gravitraps are currently deployed at public housing estates in various parts of Singapore, to provide an overview of the mosquito density in different areas of Singapore. 

Testing of the efficacy of insecticides and the resistance of mosquitoes to them is also regularly carried out in both the laboratory and field, to ensure that the insecticides used are still effective for mosquito control.

The institute also serves as a repository and reference for mosquito species present in Singapore. Through years of collection from various habitats, we have accumulated a comprehensive collection of mosquitoes that are carefully catalogued and filed for easy reference.

Understanding Disease Transmission

The programme seeks to gain an understanding of disease transmission, through studying the dynamic interactions between the pathogen, the vector and the human host. 

EHI’s high containment Arthropod Containment Levels 2 and 3 laboratories (ACL-2 and ACL-3) allow mosquito infection experiments to be conducted, to further our understanding of mosquito-pathogen interactions, and the potential impact on disease transmission. Molecular epidemiology, as a result of the mapping of pathogen genes and genomes in the context of disease epidemiology, has provided further insights into vector-borne disease transmission in Singapore and the region. Together with our study on the seroprevalence of disease-specific antibodies in the human population, the multi-disciplinary approach provides robust situational awareness and risk assessment.

Similarly to with the Surveillance and Epidemiology Programme, pathogens studied in this programme include the dengue virus, chikungunya virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, West Nile virus and malaria parasites.