Gates-backed Medellín mosquito factory begins releasing 30 million Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes weekly
A World Mosquito Program facility in Medellín, Colombia — backed in part by the Gates Foundation — began releasing approximately 30 million Wolbachia-bacteria-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into surrounding neighbourhoods every week. The factory-scale operation became one of the largest biological vector control programmes in history, covering entire city districts. When Aedes aegypti carry Wolbachia, they become far less able to transmit dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever to humans. Gold-standard randomised trials in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, demonstrated a 77% reduction in dengue incidence in Wolbachia-treated areas compared to untreated areas.
Source: https://www.gatesnotes.com/work/save-lives/reader/mosquito-factory
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Related Accomplishments
January 2026
Gates-backed World Mosquito Program reaches 16 million people protected from dengue via Wolbachia method
The World Mosquito Program — backed in part by the Gates Foundation — announced in January 2026 that its Wolbachia-infected mosquito releases had reached over 16.1 million people across multiple countries, including Colombia, Indonesia, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Vietnam. Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes — which block dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever transmission — had established self-sustaining populations in treated cities without requiring ongoing releases. Gold-standard randomised trials in Indonesia showed a 77% reduction in dengue incidence. The program represented one of the largest and most cost-effective vector control deployments in history.
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