Dengue, Zika and chikungunya are diseases well known to the Honduran population. Periodically, outbreaks and epidemics occur in the country that result in more than 10,000 registered cases each year.
Dengue, endemic in Honduras, presents epidemiological alerts every two to four years. The virus infected more than 24,700 people in 2022, with over 400 severe cases.
In June 2023, Médecins Sans Frontières in coordination with the Ministry of Health (SESAL), the World Mosquito Program (WMP), and the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) officially launched the “Arbovirus Prevention” project in the capital, Tegucigalpa.
The project, implemented by Médecins Sans Frontières, is focused on bringing substantial change to the way Honduras deals with viruses such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever, and strengthening the country’s health system.
The World Mosquito Program is joining forces with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to help combat mosquito-borne diseases in Honduras.
WMP’s Wolbachia method is one of two pilot studies Médecins Sans Frontières will be implementing in the capital, Tegucigalpa, from August 2023.
Following more than 20 years dealing with emergencies such as mosquito-borne outbreaks and epidemics, Médecins Sans Frontières has announced this new partnership to work with effective, sustainable and replicable methods to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
WMP’s Wolbachia method will be deployed in 3.3 Km2 of El Manchén, where mosquito-borne incidence rates are the highest, and aims to protect close to 87,000 people.
“In the short term, the first objective of the project is to reduce mortality and morbidity caused by dengue, Zika and chikungunya in some of the neighborhoods of the capital with the highest incidence of these diseases. In the long-term, we hope that the techniques implemented can become a safe, effective and sustainable solution to deal with these viruses." - Edgard Boquín, coordinator of Médecins Sans Frontières's Arbovirus Prevention project in Honduras
Project sites
The World Mosquito Program is partnering with Médecins Sans Frontières to work in El Manchén, in the capital of Tegucigalpa, to address the threat of mosquito-borne diseases
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