Europe's Innovative Solution: Breeding Sterilized Mosquitoes to Combat Disease

Cyprus is combating disease-carrying mosquitoes by introducing hundreds of thousands of sterilized insects, bred through radiation, to prevent their migration to continental Europe. The effort targets the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which can transmit diseases such as dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and West Nile virus. The male mosquitoes are sterilized through ionizing radiation and released on the island, reducing the mosquito population without the need for harmful insecticides. The program, supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency, will continue until the end of the year.