Sterile Mosquito Trials - FAO/IAEA - WHO
/
2:54
/
MP4
/
214.6 MB

Edited News | WHO , UNOG

WHO Press Conference: Sterile Mosquito Trials - WHO/FAO/IAEA

Irradiated pests set for mass release in bid to make mosquito-borne disease a thing of the past

With more than half the world now at risk from mosquito-transmitted dengue fever, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN has taken the lead on a global effort to eradicate the disease – and many others – by measuring the impact of releasing millions of sterilized pests across several continents, it announced on Thursday.

Using a process known as Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) – developed decades ago to target crop-eating insects in the United States – UN researchers have spent the last 10 years adapting it to mosquitoes.

Working with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) tropical diseases programme, they have now drawn up guidelines for nations wanting to tackle disease outbreaks transmitted by the winged bugs.

“Countries have already started like Italy, Greece and Mauritius, and others are on the point of doing it, for example the United States, France and Brazil,” said Jeremy Bouyer, medical entomologist at the Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, a joint International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) / Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) initiative. “We already have evidence that SIT is able to reduce the density of mosquitoes very significantly and now we must prove that it will also impact the transmission of the disease.”

Describing the Sterile Insect Technique as “an insect birth control method”, Mr. Bouyer explained that it involves the mass-release of sterile males “that will out-compete the wild males in the field and they will induce sterility in the females so that their eggs will not hatch and so you will control the next generation”.

If this is done for long enough, “you will be able to reduce and in some cases eliminate the target population” he added.

Highlighting progress in automating and upscaling the mass production of sterile mosquito populations which can be released from a drone over communities, Mr. Bouyer added: “The important bottlenecks which were sex sorting and drone release are now solved so we are ready for pilot testing.”

Dengue, along with other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes - malaria, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever – account for about 17 per cent of all infectious diseases globally, according to WHO.

The agency is expecting 110 countries to report dengue cases this year.

On average, WHO registers three million cases every year, but they may reach four million in 2019, it said.

Florence Fouque, Team leader of Vectors, Environment and Society unit, TDR (Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases) said that it would likely take around four years before it is known whether the pilot tests have been successful in reducing disease transmission.

“Sometimes very low population of mosquito can still transmit disease, so what we have to measure is the impact on the people, and this is what we want to do because it has never been done until now,” she said.

“Two major species of mosquitoes … are transmitting several diseases, which are viruses, including dengue, zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, et cetera….it is only about two species, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.”

If successful, the potential health benefits could be enormous, Raman Velayudhan, Coordinator, WHO Department of Neglected Tropical Diseases said.

Of the current dengue epidemic, he noted: “Many countries in the world have reported an increase, and we have reports from Bangladesh, Brazil, Philippines, and a few African countries and almost 10 other Latin American countries, dengue has continued to increase.”

Highlighting the safety of the irradiation technique, Mr. Bouyer insisted that no test tube manufactured genes – known as transgenes – were being inserted into mosquitoes.

“The mutations we are creating with this system are random, so we are not transgenic, we are not putting transgenes into the mosquitoes and they are occurring naturally in the population,” he said. “It’s just that we have enough mutations to create full sterility in what we release. But there is no particular concern with what we release, the mosquitoes are not radioactive, they are just irradiated and thus sterilized.”

  1. Exterior shot, Palais des Nations, car passing behind pedestrians taking photographs.
  2. Wide shot, United Nations press room, journalists, podium with speakers.
  3. Close-up, TV camera operator.
  4. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jeremy Bouyer, medical entomologist, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture: “Countries have already started like Italy, Greece and Mauritius, and others are on the point of doing it, for example the United States, France and Brazil, and we already have evidence that SIT is able to reduce the density of mosquitoes very significantly and now we must prove that it will also impact the transmission of the disease. ”
  5. Wide shot, journalists, TV camera operator.
  6. 6. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jeremy Bouyer, medical entomologist, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture: “The Sterile Insect Technique is an insect birth control method where you release sterile males that will out-compete the wild males in the field and they will induce sterility in the females so that their eggs will not hatch and so you will control the next generation. And if you do that for long time enough you will be able to reduce and in some cases eliminate the target population.”
  7. Medium shot, TV camera operators, TV cameras.
  8. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jeremy Bouyer, medical entomologist, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture: “The important bottlenecks which were sex sorting and drone release are now solved so we are ready for pilot testing.”
  9. Wide shot, journalists, TV camera operator, podium.
  10. SOUNDBITE (English) – Florence Fouque, Team leader of Vectors, Environment and Society unit, TDR (Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases): “Two major species of mosquitoes that are transmitting several diseases, which are viruses, including dengue, zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, et cetera. But it is only about two species, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.”
  11. SOUNDBITE (English) – Florence Fouque, Team leader of Vectors, Environment and Society unit, TDR (Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases): “Sometimes very low population of mosquito can still transmit disease, so what we have to measure is the impact on the people, and this is what we want to do because it has never been done until now.”
  12. Medium shot, podium.
  13. SOUNDBITE (English) – Raman Velayudhan, Coordinator, WHO Department of Neglected Tropical Diseases: “Many countries in the world have reported an increase, and we have reports from Bangladesh, Brazil, Philippines, and a few African countries and almost 10 other Latin American countries, dengue has continued to increase.”
  14. Medium shot, journalists.
  15. SOUNDBITE (English) – Jeremy Bouyer, medical entomologist, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture: “The mutations we are creating with this system are random, so we are not transgenic, we are not putting transgenes into the mosquitoes and they are occurring naturally in the population. It’s just that we have enough mutations to create full sterility in what we release. But there is no particular concern with what we release, the mosquitoes are not radioactive, they are just irradiated and thus sterilized.”
  16. Medium shot, journalists.
  17. Medium shot, podium, four speakers.
  18. Medium shot, journalists.

Similar Stories

Gaza - Israel war 7 October 2025 - OCHA - UNICEF - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WHO

Gaza - Israel war 7 October 2025 - OCHA - UNICEF - WHO ENG FRA

Two years of Gaza-Israel war bring ‘indescribable’ pain: UN humanitarians

Two years since the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel, UN humanitarians on Tuesday reiterated calls for the release of all hostages in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire and an aid surge to alleviate Palestinians’ suffering, as talks on a US-driven peace plan continued in Egypt.

Justice for Syria's disappeared - Riyad Avlar – 06 October 2025

1

1

1

Edited News

Justice for Syria's disappeared - Riyad Avlar – 06 October 2025 ENG FRA

Syria prison survivor seeks justice for the missing with UN backing.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at Human Rights Council on Ukraine: “This war needs to end”

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at Human Rights Council on Ukraine: “This war needs to end” ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned that three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for Ukrainian civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters.

30 minutes in a Gaza hospital - UNICEF - WHO - ICRC

1

1

1

Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , ICRC

30 minutes in a Gaza hospital - UNICEF - WHO - ICRC ENG FRA

Quadcopter victims, terror and death: 30 minutes in a Gaza hospital 

UN aid teams on Friday highlighted the disturbing situation in Gaza’s makeshift hospitals, where premature babies cry for scant oxygen and medics attempt to save child survivors targeted by airstrikes in their tents and quadcopter victims reportedly shot while fetching bread.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s Oral update to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti

2

1

2

Edited News | OHCHR

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s Oral update to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday delivered his oral update to the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session on the human rights situation in Haiti.

The High Commissioner welcomed Wednesday’s decision of the UN Security Council to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force for Haiti, stating it is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.

Gaza aid update - UNICEF, OCHA 30 September 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF

Gaza aid update - UNICEF, OCHA 30 September 2025 ENG FRA

Gaza: As world waits for US peace plan news, UN aid teams stress need for ceasefire

UN agencies reiterated calls for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to help alleviate Palestinian suffering, as a new US 20-point plan raised hopes of a halt to the fighting.

Gaza healthcare attacks – WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO

Gaza healthcare attacks – WHO ENG FRA

The ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza City continues to overwhelm the war-torn enclave’s medical professionals, with four more hospitals forced to shut down this month alone, the UN World Health Organization said on Friday.

UN Report: Civilian detainees subjected to troubling patterns of torture and ill treatment since Russia’s full scale attack on Ukraine

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Report: Civilian detainees subjected to troubling patterns of torture and ill treatment since Russia’s full scale attack on Ukraine ENG FRA

A UN Human Rights report released today details the dire situation of thousands of civilians detained since Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine in 2022. 

Sudan cholera update WHO - UNICEF

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO , UNICEF

Sudan cholera update WHO - UNICEF ENG FRA

Sudan war: Life-saving cholera vaccination campaign begins in Darfur

Amid the devastating war in Sudan, UN aid teams are overcoming major obstacles to curb a cholera outbreak claiming lives across the country, with young children particularly at risk.

Afghanistan earthquake response – UN Women 19 September 2025

2

1

2

Edited News , B-roll | UN WOMEN

Afghanistan earthquake response – UN Women 19 September 2025 ENG FRA

Women and girls still reeling from Afghanistan's recent deadly earthquake face even greater suffering rebuilding their lives and livelihoods without much more help from the international community, UN Women said on Friday.

UN report: Sudan crisis deepens amid rising civilian casualties - UN Human rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and OHCHR Sudan Representative Li Fung

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN report: Sudan crisis deepens amid rising civilian casualties - UN Human rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and OHCHR Sudan Representative Li Fung ENG FRA

Rising civilian casualties, growing ethnic violence and the grim humanitarian situation in Sudan underscore how the crisis there is deepening, according to a UN Human rights report published today.

'Not a Target' UN Geneva Protest - 18 September 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | UNITED NATIONS

'Not a Target' UN Geneva Protest - 18 September 2025 ENG FRA

United Nations agencies staff demonstrates on Place des Nations in Geneva to denounce the killing of their colleagues in Gaza.