STERILE MOSQUITOES : FIRST MASSIVE RELEASES

The first releases of male Aedes albopictus mosquitoes sterilized by the Institute for Research and Development began on July 22 in Duparc (Sainte-Marie).
They will continue for a year, with the aim of significantly reducing the population of dengue vector mosquitoes, chikungunya and other diseases. The females fertilized by these males lay eggs which do not hatch.. Insects are produced on a large scale in an insectary co-financed by Europe, the State and the Region on the Cyroi site, at the Sainte-Clotilde Technopole. Its first releases are the culmination of more than ten years of research. They were delayed by a year by the health crisis. If the effectiveness of the technique is proven, it could be implemented across the entire territory of the island. For that, industrial production of sterile mosquitoes will be necessary, supported by public or private investments. The sterile insect technique, already used in other contexts around the world, is not intended to replace other prevention methods, starting with the destruction of larval breeding sites, but to complete them.