In the end of February, the release of mosquitoes with Wolbachia started in Maré slum, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The inhabitants of Vila do João and Vila dos Pinheiros may participate by taking the egg-release, distributed in “Point do Wolbito”, initially located in the Municipal Health Center of Vila do João (on Mondays, from 9 to 11 a.m.), and in the Family Clinic Adib Jatene (on Tuesdays, from 9 to 11 a.m.).

The kit consists of a capsule with mosquito eggs containing Wolbachia, of installation instructions and of gifts for the kids. Each family can take a kit by week. The residents may also take part in a game with weekly challenges, sent via WhatsApp.

The community release model implemented in Maré counts on the involvement of the local government of Rio de Janeiro, of the project InfoDengue, and of the NGO “Redes da Maré” (Maré Networks), through its projects “Maré de Notícias” (Tide of News) and “Heróis contra a Dengue” (Heroes against Dengue Fever).

The communities of Maré Complex join several neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro, and also of Niterói, which have already received the Wolbitos (mosquitoes containing Wolbachia). The project is carried out based on community engagement, i.e., the residents actively participate in the awareness-raising and mosquito-release activities. The World Mosquito Program (WMP) is coordinated in Brazil by Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), through the researcher Luciano Moreira, and count on the support of Fiotec (Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development in Health).

Get to know the ways to release the good mosquitoes

There are two methods used by WMP Brazil to release the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia: freeing adult mosquitoes and using an Egg-Release Device (DLO), the device distributed to Maré inhabitants.

Adult mosquitoes may be released by car or on foot. The technicians use tubes containing Aedes aegypti with Wolbachia and open the vessels as they advance through the streets or lands.

The DLO, in turn, is a vessel with small holes in its sides. It contains eggs of Aedes aegypti com Wolbachia, water and food for the larvae that will be born. Inside the device, the eggs take up to one day to hatch and give rise to the larvae, which need seven to ten days to become adult mosquitoes. They will fly out the device through the side holes.

Information from Facebook and from WMP Brazil website.