Dengue faces a 'swarm'

Over the next few months, these "wolbitos" — which also have a reproductive advantage over normal mosquitoes — slowly displace those that transmit dengue, as well as Zika and Chikungunya, other mosquito-borne viral diseases.

The method of infecting the mosquitoes was first developed in 2008 by a team which included Moreira.

He was recognized in 2025 by Nature magazine as one of the world's top 10 scientists, and this year was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people.

The anti-dengue mosquitoes have been introduced in 15 countries, but nowhere have they protected as many people as in Brazil — an estimated 6 million people since 2011, when Moreira first began testing the method.

However, more than 200 million are still at risk in the vast nation, where more than 6,000 people died during a 2024 outbreak of dengue, which causes joint and bone pain, earning it the nickname "breakbone fever".

The virus can provoke hemorrhagic fever in severe cases, and even death.

"We are at a decisive moment to expand in Brazil," said Moreira.

In two cities where the method was scientifically tested — Niteroi, near Rio de Janeiro, and Campo Grande, in central-western Brazil — dengue cases fell by 89 percent and 63 percent, respectively.

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