Anvisa approves production of Wolbachia-modified mosquitoes in Brazil

Brazil's health regulator Anvisa has granted permission for commercial production of Wolbachia‑modified male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes at a factory in Campinas, São Paulo. The males, which do not bite, are released to mate with wild females; their offspring inherit the Wolbachia bacterium and die before reaching adulthood, gradually lowering the mosquito population that transmits dengue, Zika and chikungunya.

The facility can produce millions of insects weekly, and the authorization expands Brazil’s capacity from the previously sole producer Wolbito (a partnership of the World Mosquito Program and Fiocruz) to include the company Flyttr, formerly Oxitec. Field data from earlier releases in Niterói showed significant reductions in disease cases. Health officials stress that the technology complements, rather than replaces, traditional control measures such as eliminating standing water and securing water storage containers.