Mosquito fish eyed against dengue, Zika

By Eva Visperas 

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan – Mosquito fish will be used to eliminate mosquitoes that cause dengue and the Zika virus, an official said Thursday.

Westly Rosario, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center chief, said the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority asked for 10,000 fingerlings of mosquito fish from BFAR to get rid of disease-carrying mosquitoes in their offices.

“It is important to give them because some shipping containers may have transported mosquitoes that carry diseases,” Rosario said.

Rosario said mosquito fish, locally known as itar or kataba, was earlier used to fight malaria in the country.

The fish eat mosquito larvae.

“We just bring back the importance of this species to address the spread of diseases like dengue or Zika virus,” he said.

Rosario said mosquito fish also has high protein level that is used as food for seabass fingerlings.

He said mosquito fish can survive in low oxygen and has a survival rate of 100 percent.