Transitioning the WMP Wolbachia method for arbovirus control to sustainable scale

During the last 15 years the World Mosquito Program (WMP) has developed and tested a novel, effective and safe solution to reduce the burden of diseases caused by Aedes-borne viruses such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever. We have found that introducing a natural insect bacterium (Wolbachia) into mosquito populations can eliminate the ability of mosquitoes to transmit these viruses between people. During the course of undertaking implementations in eleven countries we have developed an understanding of the challenges and needs for this novel method to be successfully scaled. Through this experience we have a deep appreciation for the challenges that countries face in developing capacity and executing the successful delivery of the intervention at scale. We plan to build on this experience to address the following five goals:
 Development of low-cost and effective methods for egg based releases of Wolbachia
mosquitoes, including formulation of egg release capsules, and development and refinement of simple-to-use egg release containers that are amenable for use in large scale implementations, including those undertaken by community end users.
 Development of mechanised release mechanisms for both aerial and ground vehicles to massively scale adult mosquito releases.
 The continued accumulation of long-term epidemiological data demonstrating impact on disease reduction as well as expanded cost-effectiveness analysis.
 Continued development of digital tools to support scaled implementations, monitoring and shared learning.
 Advocacy to high disease burden country governments to raise awareness of this approach and the establishment of novel financing mechanisms to help facilitate uptake of the technology.