The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said on Tuesday that it is funding a study that seeks to use artificial intelligence (AI) in detecting how the dengue virus spreads.
Thaddeus Carvajal of DOST's Balik Scientist program said the agency is implementing various technologies in addressing dengue - a viral disease spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes particularly the Aedes aegypti.
"Kasalukuyan po, marami na pong mga teknolohiya na ipinabahagi ng DOST sa ating bansa kagaya po ng ovicidal pati larvicidal traps. Ngayon po ay may mga pag-aaral na pina-fund po ngayon ng DOST sa amin pati sa mga ibang kawani ko sa science, na tinitingnan kung paano ang pag-spread po nila gamit ang AI or Artificial Intelligence po, machine learning pati bago pong mga rapid test po as well," he said in Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.
(Currently, the DOST has already provided our country with many technologies, such as ovicidal and larvicidal traps. Now, the DOST is funding studies for us and my colleagues in science that are looking at how the virus spreads using AI or Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, as well as new rapid tests.)
"Sa amin naman po, tinitingnan po namin ang kanilang mga genomics gamit ang kanilang mga DNA upang malaman kung paano po sila kumakalat, dumadami at pati kung anong klaseng mga bacteria or klaseng mga virus na puwedeng i-counter sa mga dengue virus sa ating mga lamok," Carvajal added.
(For our part, we are studying the genomics of mosquitoes using their DNA to find out how they spread, multiply, and what kind of bacteria or viruses can counter the dengue virus in our mosquitoes.)
Further, the DOST said that it is important to have an understanding of the behavior of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
"Since ang ibang mga lamok ay mga insecticide resistance na po sila, gamit ang mga datos namin in the past few years po, ngayon ay puwede na po natin makita kung ano'ng puwedeng paraan para sugpuin po sila at pati alamin kung ano pang mga bagong teknolohiya or approach para pababain po ang kanilang populasyon or para hindi sila magbigay ng sakit sa atin," Carvajal added.
(Since some mosquitoes are already insecticide-resistant, we can now use our data from the past few years to see what methods can be used to suppress them and also to find new technologies or approaches to lower their population or prevent them from giving us diseases.)
The department added that surveillance also plays an important role in solving dengue cases.
"Dito kasi natin malalaman paano -- para hindi magkaroon ng outbreak at sino-sinong mga areas po that are prone for dengue virus or prone for dengue disease po ang puwede nating maiwasan," said Carvajal.
(This is how we will know -- to prevent an outbreak and which areas are prone to the dengue virus or dengue disease so we can avoid them.)
The Department of Health earlier said that it is targeting zero-related dengue deaths by 2030.
According to the World Health Organization, among the symptoms of dengue include high fever, severe headache, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, rash, among others.
But severe dengue may cause abdominal pain, bleeding gums or nose, etc. -- BAP, GMA Integrated News