Community Engagement and Social Assessment for Wolbachia-Based Suppression of Natural Populations of Aedes aegypti: The Mexican Experience

Abstract

The Wolbachia-based approach is under evaluation as a control strategy against Aedes aegypti in Mexico. From 2017 to 2019, we performed a pilot study to evaluate an open-field mass-release of wAlbB-infected Ae. aegypti male mosquitoes, as part of an integrated vector management (IVM) plan led by the Ministry of Health in Mexico to suppress natural populations of Ae. aegypti in southern Mexico. Community engagement and social evaluation were part of the key activities conducted. Overall, results showed the positive benefits of this Wolbachia-based method in the reduction of Aedes mosquitoes (90%). Mosquito’s nuisance at bedtime and the increasing circulation of mosquitoes during the releasing days were reported as the negative perceptions of this method. Importantly, participants understood the difference between wild mosquitoes and those released as part of the project, as well as the importance of the IVM. A significant number of the population accepted and supported the project, and feedback was given to improve future mosquito-releasing activities. The social license was a key factor in the success of the intervention and should be part of innovative paradigms for mosquito-vector control strategies involving community engagement. We outline the Mexican experience of community engagement and social assessment in implementing a Wolbachia-based strategy.

Symbiotic Wolbachia in mosquitoes and its role in reducing the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases: updates and prospects

“…It is important to keep engaging with the community and educating them to increase their understanding of this method, including clear and specific health risk assessment information ( Sánchez-González et al, 2021 ). In addition to maintaining community support, programs should evaluate and monitor to determine how well they reduce the mosquito population ( Sánchez-González et al, 2021 ; Villegas-Chim et al, 2022 ). Household perception surveys in different areas of Singapore provided a good understanding of public acceptance and sentiments toward using Wolbachia-Aedes technology ( Liew et al, 2021 ).…”

“…In addition, Texas and California in the United States, Thailand, Mexico, and Australia have released Wolbachia -infected mosquitoes and reported a significant drop in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes to control dengue, chikungunya, and Zika also gaining acceptance in the community ( Wiwatanaratanabutr et al, 2010 ; Torres et al, 2020 ; Villegas-Chim et al, 2022 ).…”

“…The main limitation of the IIT is releasing infected male mosquitos maternally inherited. To overcome this constraint, a combination strategy between IIT techniques and the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) was also tested, whereby overwhelming numbers of sterile insects are released into the wild (Zheng et al, 2019;Villegas-Chim et al, 2022). SIT is a control method applied against agricultural pests as well as human disease vector populations, by providing the release of sterile or incompatible males (Werren et al, 2008) 2010) demonstrated that bacterial infection can occur in different body parts of Ae.aegypti like the midgut, fat body, brain, and salivary gland, with a high prevalence in the reproductive tissues, both ovaries and testicles (Bi and Wang, 2020).…”