Dengue fever and its more serious form, dengue hemorrhagic fever, are caused by dengue viruses.  Dengue viruses are transmitted when a female mosquito (primarily Aedes aegypti) bites an infected human and then moves on to bite an uninfected human.  The disease is most prevalent in equatorial regions of the developing world where mosquito and human populations are dense.  Between 50-100 million cases occur every year.  There is no vaccine available yet to prevent this disease.  More information can be found about dengue on the CDC Dengue Fever website.

Our challenge is to use genetic techniques to develop novel methods for controlling the transmission of dengue viruses.  We can achieve this by reducing mosquito population densities or eliminating the ability of the mosquito to spread the virus.  To achieve this, we have brought together a team of researchers who are at the forefront of the fields of mosquito genetics, virology, computer modeling and ethics/culture/social considerations.  This website serves to inform the public of the goals of the research and progress towards meeting them.

Comments are welcome at stopDV@uci.edu.