The World Mosquito Program’s innovative solution provides communities with long-lasting protection from mosquito-borne virus transmission for diseases like dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever.

La Paz is an urban area in the state of Baja California Sur, with a climate that encourages the prevalence of mosquito-borne diseases. In particular, dengue poses a significant health burden. Baja California Sur experienced a dengue epidemic in 2013 and 2014, with 8090 confirmed cases. For that period, La Paz recorded the highest numbers of confirmed cases in Mexico.

Mosquito-borne diseases are placing significant financial pressure on families in La Paz, as people who fall ill are unable to work or attend school, and relatives often need to take time off to care for their family members. With governments around the world spending an estimated US$8.9 billion annually to treat these diseases, public health officials and policymakers are increasingly seeking innovative solutions – such as the World Mosquito Program’s Wolbachia method.

The World Mosquito Program’s research has shown that Wolbachia, which reduces the ability of mosquitoes to transmit viruses between people, can sustain itself in mosquito populations without continual reapplication. This unique feature makes the World Mosquito Program’s method a long-term, cost-effective and self-sustaining approach.

Following the announcement in La Paz, the World Mosquito Program is now working in 13 countries across Asia, Latin America and Oceania.

“It builds on our success in Medellín in Colombia and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, in helping to reduce the threat and impact of mosquito-borne virus outbreaks in Latin America,” the World Mosquito Program’s Director of Government Relations (Americas) Dr Jorge Osorio said at the launch.

“Our approach strengthens the resilience of communities like La Paz against emerging regional and global health security threats such as the Zika virus.”

Learn more about our work in Mexico.