AUGUSTO CESAR

In Rio, rife with dengue, bacteria-infected mosquitoes are making a difference

The Wolbachia strategy was pioneered over the last decade by the nonprofit World Mosquito Program. It was first tested in Australia in 2011 and the group has since run trials in more than a dozen countries, including Brazil. The initiative provides an appealing alternative at a time when the U.N. health agency warns that reported cases of dengue globally increased tenfold over the last generation.