Modified Mosquitoes Released to Stop Dengue

The journal Nature recently published a news article focused on an innovative tactic to reduce the number of dengue cases in Brazil.

This program aims to protect up to 70 million Brazilians from diseases such as dengue.

The non-profit World Mosquito Program announced it would release about five billion bacteria-infected mosquitoes annually in many of Brazil’s urban areas over the next ten years.

Researchers have tested the release of this type of mosquito, which carries a Wolbachia bacterium that stops mosquitoes from transmitting viruses. Wolbachia naturally infects about half of all insect species.

In Brazil, previous test results have been modest. For example, in Niterói, the intervention was associated with a 69% decrease in dengue cases, while in Rio de Janeiro, the reduction was 38%.

But this will be the first time that the technology is dispersed nationwide.

Nature posts the unedited article as of April 14, 2023.

In the U.S., the state of Florida launched a similar program in May 2021.

Florida continues to report the most travel-related and locally acquired dengue cases in the U.S. during 2023.

Globally, two dengue vaccines have been authorized.