New Fiocruz and WMP partnership will help control arboviruses

Fiocruz and the World Mosquito Program (WMP) announced last Thursday (3/30), in Brasília, a new partnership that will expand the access in Brazil to mosquitoes with Wolbachia, a method that reduces the incidence of dengue, chikungunya, and zika. The event was attended by the Secretary of Health Surveillance and Environment (SVSA/MS), Ethel Maciel, the Acting President of Fiocruz, Mário Moreira, the CEO of WMP Global, Scott O'Neil, the Lead Researcher at WMP in Brazil, Luciano Moreira, the Director-President of the Institute of Molecular Biology of Paraná (IBMP), Pedro Barbosa, the Director of the Department of Science and Technology (Decit/MS), Ana Caetano, the President of Conass, Cipriano Maia, and the Representative of the CNS and Conasems, Alessandro Chagas.

The interim president of Fiocruz, Mario Moreira, informed that an additional contribution of R$ 80 million is foreseen for the immediate expansion of the implementation of the method in states and municipalities, with R$ 50 million from WMP and R$ 30 million from Fiocruz/SVSA ( Photo: SVSA)

WMP is present in 12 countries in Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. In Brazil, the Wolbachia Method is funded by the Ministry of Health, conducted by Fiocruz, and it is present in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Niterói (RJ), Campo Grande (MS), Belo Horizonte (MG), and Petrolina (PE). The method has already proven effective in reducing the incidence of arboviruses. “The partnership between the WMP and Fiocruz enables us to build a large biofactory able to produce up to 100 million mosquitoes with Wolbachia per week, so that we can expand our operations in Brazil and protect many more people in the coming years”, said Luciano Moreira, researcher at Fiocruz and leader of the WMP Brazil.

The investment for the construction and operation of the biofactory will be R$ 100 million, with resources from the WMP and the Institute of Molecular Biology of Paraná (IBMP). In addition to the construction of the enterprise, an additional contribution of R$ 80 million is planned for the immediate expansion of the implementation of the method in the states and municipalities, of which R$ 50 million will come from the WMP and R$ 30 million from Fiocruz/SVSA. The initial WMP funding will also function as a matching fund aimed at encouraging Brazilian companies, charities, and high net worth individuals to invest in new technologies, so as to scale up and accelerate the implementation of the Wolbachia Method in specific cities or states, such as aerial release of mosquitoes.

“The site for the construction of the biofactory is still being defined in line with the Ministry of Health, but the forecast is that it can start operating by early 2024. The idea, however, is that we can immediately expand the current production and supply of mosquito eggs to the Ministry of Health, state and municipal governments to help control arboviruses in municipalities deemed more critical and with high transmission of dengue, zika, and chikungunya”, explains the president of Fiocruz, Mario Moreira.

“The IBMP, by participating in this initiative, assumes yet another commitment in favor of Brazilian public health. Together with Fiocruz and WMP, we are confident in our capacity to progressively expand this technology, which is extremely safe and effective in controlling arboviruses”, declares Pedro Barbosa, its director-president.

According to researcher Luciano Moreira, this is a medium-term strategy, since the result after the release of the mosquitoes with Wolbachia is not immediate. “The method implementation speed varies according to the characteristics of each municipality, however, in general, we manage to have a real impact in the reduction of dengue cases in a few years after implementation is completed”, explains Moreira.

“For decades, Brazil has been a global leader in pioneering innovative, high-impact solutions for infectious diseases. We are excited to be working with Fiocruz, the Ministry of Health, and other government partners to prove that Wolbachia can be implemented on a large scale as an affordable way to combat dengue, chikungunya, and zika – three relentless viruses, so far”, emphasizes the CEO of WMP Global, Scott O'Neill.

Professor O'Neill added that Brazil's leadership in scaling up the Wolbachia method can provide a model for the other 129 dengue-affected countries in the world, helping to expand access to the technology to the approximately four billion people worldwide who live at risk of dengue and other viruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Also present at the event were representatives of the National Council of Health, the National Council of Health Departments, the National Council of Municipal Health Departments, and the Australian embassy (WMP headquarters).

3D image of the biofactory project, presented at the event

Wolbachia Method

Discovered by scientists from the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and by the Program coordinator in Brazil, Luciano Moreira, a researcher at Fiocruz, the Wolbachia technology has already been introduced in 12 countries, reaching almost 11 million people to this point. The technology consists of introducing a bacteria – called Wolbachia – into mosquitoes, which prevents them from transmitting dengue and other viruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti. Wolbachia is found naturally in about 50% of all different insect species. The secret of Wolbachia's success lies in how it manipulates the reproduction of the insects in which it is present. Over a few generations, the number of mosquitoes with Wolbachia increases rapidly, until most of the insects in a population have the bacteria. Since mosquitoes already have Wolbachia, they naturally pass it on to their offspring.

WMP in Brazil

The first releases of Wolbitos in Brazil started in September 2014, in Rio de Janeiro. Three years later, during the emergence of the Zika virus, there was a large-scale expansion in Rio de Janeiro and Niterói. The Wolbachia Method already protects more than 3 million people. Last year, WMP Brasil celebrated an important milestone: The involvement of more than one million people across the country. People who work to combat arboviruses within the national territory. The aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia are not genetically modified.

The Wolbachia Method has proven efficacy. A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), conducted in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, points to a 77% reduction in the incidence of dengue in areas treated with Wolbachia, compared to untreated areas. The positive impact of Wolbachia in reducing arbovirus transmission rates has been observed in several cities around the world, including Niterói, where the number of dengue cases has been reduced by 70%, chikungunya by 56%, and Zika by 37%. In more complex settings, such as Rio de Janeiro, the reduction in dengue transmission ranged from 10% to 76%, depending on the establishment of the Wolbachia.