The only large-scale solutions to mosquito-carried diseases like Zika, dengue fever, and malaria involve spraying huge amounts of pesticides, which can be dangerous for people and the environment in general. A new solution for mosquitos may soon be on its way after researchers figured out how to use a certain bacteria to make mosquitos infertile. By infecting millions of male mosquitos with the bacteria, called Wolbachia, and setting them free in the wild, they’ll outmate the fertile males in the area, produce only dead eggs, and drive the mosquito population down. One California city is using a fertilization technique like this already, and its actually working.
Fighting Zika, dengue and malaria without dangerous pesticides
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