Mosquitoes, long the enemy, are now bred to help prevent the spread of dengue fever

By MARÍA VERZA and MADDIE BURAKOFF

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Preventing dengue fever has long meant teaching people to fear mosquitoes and avoid their bites. Now scientists are promoting a potentially more effective way to control the disease with the help of mosquitoes. These aren’t just any insects: Mosquitoes are bred in laboratories to carry bacteria that halt the spread of dengue. This strategy pioneered by the World Mosquito Program over the past decade recently launched its latest project in Honduras. Over the next six months, close to 9 million of the specially bred mosquitoes will be released in Tegucigalpa, where residents are learning to trust the counterintuitive strategy.