Dengue outpaces virus-blocking mosquitoes in Brazil

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Curitiba: In Brazil, a pioneering public health initiative is struggling to keep pace with a rapidly spreading dengue epidemic exacerbated by climate change. At the heart of this effort is the world’s largest breeding factory in Curitiba, which produces ‘wolbitos’ mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacterium that blocks the transmission of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.

Scientist Luciano Moreira, who helped develop the method, notes that while these mosquitoes have protected six million people since 2011, over 200 million Brazilians remain at risk. Despite the program's proven success reducing dengue cases by up to 89 percent in tested cities expansion has been hindered by state bureaucracy, a lack of institutional coordination, and even organized crime in urban favelas.

Health Minister Alexandre Padilha acknowledged the significant ‘technical, operational, logistical, and financial’ challenges in scaling the project.

While the ‘wolbitos’ method is set to expand to 70 municipalities this year, experts emphasize it is not a ‘magic bullet’. Instead, it serves as a critical complementary strategy alongside newly developed vaccines to combat a disease that claimed over 6,000 lives in 2024 alone.