World Mosquito Program (WMP)

Overview

Dengue fever has become a major challenge in Asia and other parts of the world. The project in Myanmar will study the use of Wolbachia which is a natural bacteria present in up to 60% of insect species, including some mosquitoes. However, Wolbachia is not usually found in the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary species responsible for transmitting human viruses such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

For many years, scientists have been studying Wolbachia, looking for ways to use it to potentially control the mosquitoes that transmit human viruses. The World Mosquito Program’s research has shown that when introduced into the Aedes aegypti mosquito, Wolbachia can help to reduce the transmission of these viruses to people. This important discovery has the potential to transform the fight against life-threatening mosquito-borne diseases.

URC, with funding from WMP will implement the program in Myanmar. The first phase will be to carry out the prep work including setting up a surveillance system before moving into implementation. The project is funded by BMGF through Monash University, a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia.