Our innovative solution is a safe, self-sustaining approach for eliminating disease by utilizing Wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacterium present in many insects, but not the Aedes aegypti mosquito. WMP research has shown that the presence of Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes reduces their ability to transmit viruses including dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. Since this discovery, WMP has developed a way to introduce Wolbachia into wild mosquito populations in order to reduce disease transmission. This research is the first of its kind in the world and could potentially benefit an estimated 3 billion people living in dengue transmission areas worldwide. The approach works by seeding wild mosquito populations with Wolbachia through controlled deployments of relatively small numbers of Wolbachia infected mosquitoes. These mosquitoes then breed with local mosquitoes and the Wolbachia is passed on to the mosquitoes in the local area. Over several months, the frequency of Wolbachia in the local mosquito population increases, until such time as the majority of mosquitoes in the area carry Wolbachia and itself sustains. Independent modeling indicates decades of impact on disease reduction.The WMP partners have successfully deployed Wolbachia in ten countries. Consistent with laboratory and modeling estimates, WMP’s method is leading to elimination or major reductions in dengue incidence in communities where Wolbachia is established.