Laos|World Mosquito Program

In 2022, the World Mosquito Program began work in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, to combat the growing threat of mosquito-borne diseases.

Dengue is endemic in Laos, with cases increasing during the warmer and wetter months. The last major epidemic in 2019 resulted in 39,091 dengue cases, with 10,813 in Vientiane alone. Dengue epidemics usually peak between May and October. The districts of Chanthabouly and Xaysettha in the capital of Vientiane have been identified as high priority areas due to their high dengue burden.

(Date updated June 2023)

ທ່ານກຳລັງຊອກຫາຂໍ້ມູນທີ່ເປັນພາສາລາວແມ່ນບໍ່?

ຮຽນຮູ້ເພີ້ມເຕີມກ່ຽວກັບວຽກຂອງພວກເຮົາທີ່ກຳລັງປະຕິບັດໃນ ສປປ ລາວ.

ກະລຸນາກົດບ່ອນນີ້

Project sites

1

Number of people reached

56,000

Total area reached

12 km²

The World Mosquito Program, Lao PDR Ministry of Health and Save the Children International have joined forces to address the danger of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases including chikungunya in Laos.

The pilot project sees Wolbachia mosquitoes – a safe, natural and effective method for preventing mosquito-borne diseases – release in the country’s dengue hotspots. The releases began at the end of April in both the Chanthabouly and Xaysettha districts of the capital, cover an area of approximately 11 km², protecting more than 60,000 people.

Community involvement is crucial to the success of our mosquito releases.

The approach is not an emergency measure but is a long term, self-sustaining solution to significantly reduce the risk of future outbreaks in high-risk areas. WMP's Wolbachia method is also compatible with other methods such as insecticides and vaccines.

Following many years of laboratory research and field trials with promising results, we have received widespread support from communities, governments and regulators around the world.

In our other project sites, long-term monitoring shows that Wolbachia is self-sustaining at high levels in our international project sites up to eight years after release. In areas where high levels of Wolbachia are present, we have not seen any dengue outbreaks.

Get ready to be amazed by our incredible WMP team in Laos! They've been on a tireless mission to raise awareness about WMP's Wolbachia solution, and their approach certinaly ticks the 'originality box'! Put on your dancing shoes and join them in this fantastic music video that will leave you in awe.