Yellow fever is endemic across Africa and Latin America. 

Of the 47 countries affected, 13 in the Americas have the highest risk of outbreaks, including Brazil, Mexico and Colombia. The World Mosquito Program has begun work in these countries in an effort to end the spread of the disease.

While the urban transmission of yellow fever by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes has not been reported in Brazil since 1942, the risk of re-urbanisation of the disease remains. This mosquito species is found in most tropical and subtropical cities in the world, and they were the main carrier of yellow fever in the past.

According to the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization, yellow fever causes 200,000 infections and 30,000 deaths annually.

Yellow fever can spread wherever Aedes aegypti and Haemogogus mosquitoes are present. There are three ways yellow fever can be transmitted. Our Wolbachia method provides protection against yellow fever transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is commonly found in urban settings, such as homes and urban areas. 

Large outbreaks of urban yellow fever tend to occur when infected people introduce the virus into heavily populated areas with a high density of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, and where most people have little or no immunity, due to lack of vaccination or prior exposure to yellow fever.

There is no treatment for yellow fever, other than rest and management of the fever with common medicines.

Safe and affordable, the yellow fever vaccine is the most important means to combat the virus.

The World Mosquito Program’s Wolbachia method could potentially help to reduce yellow fever transmission, as well as other viruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya.