Mosquito Factory Underway in Brazil, Aims to Produce 5 Billion Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Dengue

A mosquito factory is being built in Brazil with the aim of fighting the ongoing dengue outbreak across the country. The said facility, where its location is yet to be determined, aims to produce up to 5 billion bacteria-infected mosquitoes that will serve as a counter mechanism against the spread of the mosquito-borne disease.

Brazil Mosquito Factory

(Photo : Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images)
A male (top) and a female (bottom) Aedes aegypti mosquitos are seen through a microscope at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation laboratory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 14, 2019. - After guzzling human blood, mosquitos in a Rio de Janeiro laboratory produce offspring infected with a bacteria that is packing a punch in the fight against dengue, which has exploded in Brazil this year. So far, results are promising. Scientists at Fiocruz institute, which is running the trial, report a "significant reduction" in cases of dengue and chikungunya in targeted neighborhoods.

Details about the Brazil mosquito factory was published in the journal Nature on Friday, April 14, wherein the non-profit World Mosquito Program (WPC) has announced it will release the modified mosquitoes in different urban areas across the South American country over the next 10 years. The WPC said it aims to protect up to 70 million people from various diseases like dengue.

The researchers involved in the initiative tested the modified mosquito that carries the pathogenic Wolbachia bacterium which prevents dengue-carrying mosquitoes from transmitting viruses. This is the first time that such technology will be implemented on a nationwide level, the journal adds.

The study was released a year following a spike in dengue outbreak in Brazil. In 2022, Brazilian health authorities reported that the nationwide probably cases of dengue across the country were approximately 1.45 million, which is a 162% increase in cases compared in 2021, according to Outbreak News Today.

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Dengue-Carrying Mosquito

Aedes aegypti (Aedes aegypti), also known as the yellow fever mosquito, is known as a carrier of several viruses which causes the following diseases: dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya. The transmissions of these infections are through mosquito bites from A. aegypti, which are common in the relatively warm regions of the tropics and subtropics, as well as in places with temperate climates.

Scientists in the past have warned that the ferocious mosquito species thrive within or near human settlements, especially in wet places and coastal areas that serve as their breeding habitats.

In a study published in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1997, scientists conducted research in Indonesia and found dengue vector mosquitoes Aedes albopictus, in addition to A. aegypti, found these insects are abundant indoors in coastal areas and were breeding primarily in outdoor containers in the hill and mountain areas.

Dengue Symptoms and Treatment

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), dengue symptoms can range from mild to severe, which can be life-threatening in a matter of few hours and the patient often requiring hospital care. While dengue is not new, its mild symptoms can be confused with other diseases with similar illnesses like aches, pains, fever, or rashes.

However, the CDC says the most common and evident symptoms of dengue are the following below, in addition to fever:

nausea
vomiting
rash
aches
pain

The U.S. health agency clarifies pain may include eye pain, that is typically behind the eyes, as well as bone, muscle, or joint pain. These symptoms could last for two to seven days, with most people recovering after a week.

There is still no official medicine or treatment against dengue, in addition to hospital care and avoidance to eating red meat while a person is sick.