Vietnam to Release Mosquitoes with Wolbachia Bacteria to Prevent Dengue

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has planned to release mosquitoes with Wolbachia bacteria into wild in Nha Trang city since March as part of the project to eliminate dengue in Vietnam. The aim of the program is to spread Wolbachia into wild mosquito population to reduce the ability of these mosquitoes to transmit disease. A smaller number of male and female mosquitoes with Wolbachia would be released over weeks and these mosquitoes then mate with the wild mosquito population. Mosquitoes with Wolbachia are less able to transmit viruses to people, so the risk of outbreaks of dengue and Zika in those areas will be reduced. (infonet.vn Feb 6)