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On one hand, people are suffering from the terror of mosquitoes. Due to these, fatal diseases like dengue and malaria occur. On the other hand, there is a country which has set up a mosquito factory in its own country. But why have these 19 crore mosquitoes been bred? You will also be surprised to know the reason.
The struggle between science and nature has always been going on. But sometimes, to win this struggle, scientists choose such paths which are no less than a fantasy story for the common people. While the whole world is looking for ways to eliminate or avoid mosquitoes, a country is working on a huge project to breed mosquitoes in large numbers. This idea is not only shocking but also begs the question, could this become a new biological threat to human health or is it actually a windfall solution to eradicating a deadly disease like dengue? Do you know the name of the country where there is a factory for these mosquitoes? Only very few people would know about this. By the way, let us tell you that under this initiative, the name of the country where 19 crore mosquitoes are being produced every week is Brazil.
Brazil has recently opened this huge mosquito factory in Campinas, Sao Paulo state. The facility is spread over 1,300 square meters and is being operated under the ‘World Mosquito Programme’ (WMP). This factory can produce 190 million (19 crore) Aedes aegypti mosquitoes every week. This number is so big that it is considered enough to cover the population of 10 crore people for a year. But the question that arises in our mind is that on one hand we are troubled by mosquitoes, on the other hand some country is building a factory to breed these mosquitoes, but why? In fact, the need for this massive project arose because in 2024 the country faced the worst dengue outbreak in its history, which was responsible for more than 80% of the total infections reported worldwide.
Wolbachia technology is being used!
The reason for rearing mosquitoes in this factory is to completely eliminate dengue. In the year 2024, many cases of dengue were reported in Brazil, out of which many people also died. In such a situation, Brazil is using a unique method to deal with these mosquitoes. The secret behind rearing mosquitoes in this factory is to change their biological structure, for which the ‘Wolbachia Method’ is being used. Factory-reared mosquitoes are infected with a natural bacteria called ‘Wolbachia’ during development. This bacteria is not harmful for mosquitoes, but it prevents dengue virus from developing in their bodies. In this way, these mosquitoes cannot spread the virus even if they bite a human.
population control through reproduction
The final step of this process is to release the mosquitoes into the wild. When Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes breed with forest mosquitoes, this protective bacteria is passed on to their offspring. In this way, gradually the entire population of mosquitoes in the forest becomes infected with Wolbachia, in such a situation they become incapable of spreading dengue, due to which the rate of infection reduces permanently. Let us tell you that mosquito larvae are developed inside the factory at controlled temperature. When mature, they are placed in cages, where male mosquitoes are fed a sugary solution and female mosquitoes are fed animal blood in sacs that mimic human skin. The mosquitoes spend about four weeks here, after which their eggs are collected and prepared for release into the wild. The Wolbachia approach has previously been successful in Indonesia and Colombia, where it has helped reduce dengue infections by 70%.
