Telling a four-and-a-half-minute story without dialogue, narration, or subtitles is one thing. Animating it is another. Guilherme, Lead Animator at Flow Creative, was responsible for bringing Releasing Hope to life frame by frame, navigating particle simulations, character rigging, and the technical demands of a film built around a villain made entirely of mosquitoes. In this interview, he reflects on the animation process: what made the spectre so difficult to build, why realism was central to the storytelling approach, and how the team found its way through a project unlike anything the studio had taken on before.

Interview with Guilherme, Lead Animator, Flow Creative  |  Behind the Film

When you first received the storyboards, what stood out to you as an animator?

When I first received the storyboards, and even earlier during pre-production, it was already clear to me and the team how big the project was. But it was only once the storyboard was finished that we fully understood the number of shots and the level of complexity involved.

As an animator, I was obviously excited to be part of it, while also very aware of the challenges ahead.

Were there particular shots, emotions, or movements that immediately felt exciting or challenging to bring to life?

To be honest, most of the shots were both challenging and exciting to bring to life. The spectre shots stood out as the most elaborate and time-consuming, but the character work was also extensive and required a lot of experimentation and dedication.

How do you approach expressing emotion or storytelling through movement, especially without dialogue?

This is a great question, and it really guided our animation process. Telling a four-minute story without voiceover or dialogue was definitely a challenge. Our approach was to focus on realism: the realism of the characters' movements, but also making everything feel grounded, subtle, and believable.

In the early stages, the animation technique moved in a slightly different direction. Could you talk us through the tools and techniques you chose to use for this project?

Initially, the creative direction leaned more towards an abstract approach, focused almost entirely on pointillist scenes and moving particles that slowly morphed from one composition to the next. As the project evolved, that idea was integrated into a more narrative-driven piece, while still keeping the concept of an antagonist made of small particles representing mosquitoes.

We tested a lot of different approaches and used any spare time during pre-production to experiment with tools. There wasn't a single method or workflow that worked for every shot. Each scene required something different. For the particle-heavy shots, especially those featuring the spectre, we used a mixed media approach between Cinema 4D and After Effects, with particle simulations done using Stardust.

Building the main animation and blocking in 3D gave us more freedom to explore movement and dynamics. Bringing everything into After Effects afterwards made it easier to assemble and gave us full control over the final look.

What has been the most challenging scene or shot to animate in Releasing Hope, and why?

Any shot involving the spectre was challenging. The particle simulations and detailed motion made them quite heavy to process. At first, you would expect the final shots, where the spectre fights a crowd and eventually explodes and fades away, to be the hardest.

But because the project spanned several months, by the time we reached those shots, we had already gone through the learning curve. After working through all the earlier spectre scenes, we had developed a more efficient way of building and animating it. So in the end, those more complex shots were actually faster to produce than some of the simpler ones at the beginning.

"After working through all the earlier spectre scenes, we had developed a more efficient way of building and animating it. So in the end, those more complex shots were actually faster to produce than some of the simpler ones at the beginning."

Guilherme, Lead Animator, Flow Creative

When the World Mosquito Program set out to create Releasing Hope, a wordless animated film about dengue, community resilience, and the Wolbachia method, they turned to Manchester-based studio Flow Creative to help bring it to life.

Karl Doran, Founder and Creative Director, guided the project from brief to screen, navigating the challenge of telling a complex public health story through visual storytelling alone, scored by acclaimed Danish band Efterklang. In this interview, Karl reflects on the creative and technical process behind the film: from developing a hero's journey narrative accurate to the science, to the animation techniques that give the spectre of disease its unsettling life.

The result is a four-and-a-half-minute film designed to speak across borders, cultures, and languages to audiences in all 16 countries where WMP works.

Interview with Karl Doran, Founder and Creative Director, Flow Creative  |  Behind the Film

What was it about the project that stood out for you in its early stages?

This was a dream project for us in lots of ways. As soon as we started talking to the World Mosquito Program we knew this was a great opportunity to create a powerful and beautiful animated film, but also to help effect a huge positive change in the world. We've always believed in the power of creativity to make the world a better place and have worked with lots of charities and NGOs over the years, so this project felt like a really good fit for us right from the start.

We hadn't heard of WMP or the Wolbachia method before this, but once we found out about the numbers of people affected globally by mosquito-borne disease and the potential of this method to save literally millions of lives, we knew we had to be involved.

What did you think of the initial challenge of making something that is both universal and involves no dialogue?

An important part of the brief from the start was the requirement that the film have no words, instead relying on visual storytelling, music and sound design. WMP works in 16 countries all over the world, so it was important that there weren't any language barriers when distributing the film. To tell a complex story like this, involving cutting-edge science that audiences will likely not be familiar with, and make it accessible and emotionally engaging without any words, was a big challenge.

We worked closely with the WMP team and with a wonderful writer, Michelle Collier, to develop a narrative that would be true to the science, tell a human story authentic to the experiences of people living with these diseases, and would work without dialogue or voice-over.

Working with the fantastic and highly acclaimed band Efterklang on the score made a big difference too. The music they composed helps to drive the emotional journey of our hero character, and adds a poignant and powerful feel to the film.

"To tell a complex story like this, involving cutting-edge science that audiences will likely not be familiar with, and make it accessible and emotionally engaging without any words, was a big challenge."

Karl Doran, Founder and Creative Director, Flow Creative

What animation techniques or tools are central to achieving the overall look of the film?

This film combines a number of animation techniques and processes. All of the artwork is hand-drawn by the fantastic artist Eleonora Asparuhova, then rigged and animated by the Flow team in After Effects and Moho. The spectre is modelled and animated in 3D using Cinema 4D, with particle simulations created using Trapcode Particular and Stardust. We also used frame-by-frame animation in many shots, as well as creating lots of elements in 3D then rendering in 2D, like the motorbike and the girl's cape.

It was very much an experimental process that took some research and development to work out the most effective way to create the look we wanted for the film. The most important thing was that the end result felt believable and natural, and that the tools we used helped to tell the human story rather than get in the way of it.

How important is movement, colour, and pacing in this film to express emotion and a powerful human story?

The use of colour in the film is limited to black and white, with red to depict the danger of mosquitoes, and blue for Wolbachia mosquitoes. This gave us a really powerful visual language to work with, with the glowing blue used to signify hope.

Seeing this mysterious blue glow, and the work WMP and her community are doing, encourages our hero to act and fight back. Having witnessed the devastation caused by the spectre of disease in her town and in her own family, she bravely fights the spectre, but it's too powerful to defeat on her own. Working together, and with the power of Wolbachia, they manage to overcome it. Throughout the film the source of the blue glow remains a mystery, until at the very end it's revealed to be coming from a mosquito, flipping perceptions of mosquitoes as the enemy and showing they can be part of the solution as well as the problem.

Pacing and timing is an essential aspect of the film, allowing the audience to understand the emotional journey of our hero, the wider issue of mosquito-borne disease, and the power we have to do something about it. We had to ensure the story felt human-first. Telling it from the perspective of the girl helps to humanise it and, hopefully, makes a complex subject feel relatable and emotionally resonant for the viewer.

Were there particular scenes that anchored the pacing or defined the story's turning points?

The film establishes the geographic setting at the start, the context of global temperature increases and the growing mosquito population, then we see the reality of living with the spectre of mosquito-borne disease. The first turning point comes when our hero sees her own brother taken ill and decides to act. With the naivety of youth she bravely attempts to fight the spectre, but is knocked back into a dark abyss. At this point in the story all hope is lost - she has tried and failed.

Then the second turning point is when a hopeful blue glow appears in the darkness. This light is coming from Wolbachia mosquitoes and a WMP bike, which leads her to a WMP lab. Seeing the collective action being taken gives her renewed courage and, together with WMP and her community, they do battle with the spectre again.

What do you think are the biggest creative or technical challenges in bringing this project to life?

The first big challenge was creating a story that had humanity and emotion, but was accurate to the science and the reality of people's lives living with these diseases. In many of the interviews WMP had carried out with the communities affected, people spoke of living with the "spectre of disease," or "in the shadow of disease." This gave us the inspiration for how we visualised the spectre.

Creating this spectre as a constantly moving mass of mosquitoes was a huge technical challenge, but it was important that it felt connected to the issue and not an abstract monster. Balancing being true to reality, telling a human story that was relatable and authentic, with the hero's journey narrative and the girl's point of view, was probably the biggest challenge of all.

How do you feel the final film came together, and are you happy with the end result?

I'm really happy with how the film has turned out. In our ten years as a studio this was definitely our most ambitious project, spanning nearly a year from start to finish. Working with WMP was a pleasure — their expertise and passion for the subject were clear from the very first conversations.

Being able to collaborate with an internationally acclaimed band like Efterklang on the score was fantastic too. Visiting their studio near Copenhagen was a great experience, and the music helps to elevate the film to another level. From our point of view it was a huge technical and creative challenge, but the whole team is really proud of the outcome. We can't wait to see it out in the world, and helping to save lives.

"In our ten years as a studio, this was definitely our most ambitious project, spanning nearly a year from start to finish."

Karl Doran, Founder and Creative Director, Flow Creative

Brumadinho made global headlines in January 2019 when a mining dam collapse killed 272 people and devastated the surrounding region. Now, as part of a landmark reparations investment, our Wolbachia method is bringing long-term protection from mosquito-borne disease to the communities of the Paraopeba River Basin.

Wolbachia expansion continues across Brazil

Brazil's first releases of Wolbachia mosquitoes began in September 2014 in Rio de Janeiro. Large-scale deployments followed three years later. Our Wolbachia method now protects more than six million people across 29 cities, including Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Londrina, Foz do Iguaçu, Campo Grande, Joinville, Belo Horizonte, and Petrolina.

WMP Brasil projects are also under way in Uberlândia and Natal, while the second phase of releases is starting this month in Presidente Prudente. Other municipalities where Wolbito do Brasil is currently implementing include Balneário Camboriú, Blumenau, Valparaíso de Goiás, Luziânia, and the capital, Brasília.

WMP Brasil's team leader, Eliane Moreira, highlights the efforts of the whole team and emphasises the role of science in protecting lives and supporting communities.

"The initiative in the Paraopeba River Basin represents an important step forward in actions aimed at promoting health and improving the quality of life of the affected communities. The moment was especially significant because of the role the project plays in the reparation process in Brumadinho and throughout the basin, reinforcing the commitment to science-based solutions and the protection of communities."

Alexandra Andrade, representative of the Association of Families of Victims and Those Affected by the Brumadinho Dam Collapse (Avabrum), emphasised the symbolism of the initiative.

"It is gratifying to know that Brumadinho is the first city to receive the project. The mosquito with Wolbachia helps reduce cases of dengue and represents concrete care for the health of the population."

Eliane adds: "This was more than just a launch event; it was a public recognition of collective work, built daily with dedication, responsibility, and commitment."

Wolbachia touring exhibition launches

The event also marked the launch of a touring exhibition highlighting our Wolbachia method. It invites the public to explore the collective efforts of researchers, field agents, and community members, showing the different stages of production and Wolbachia mosquito releases.

Juliana Silveira, communications coordinator at WMP Brasil, describes the exhibition's central idea:

"At the heart of this exhibition's narrative is the Wolbachia method, a solution that transforms the mosquito itself into an ally of public health, reducing the transmission of diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya."

The exhibition presents the faces and stories of both staff and communities involved in the programme, alongside evidence-based data on the impact achieved in several Brazilian cities. Its target audience includes the general community, students, healthcare professionals, and public administrators.

"The exhibition aims to broaden understanding of the Wolbachia method in an accessible way and bring science closer to people," adds Juliana.

Brumadinho is the first city to host the exhibition, which will be on display in the hall of the Administrative Centre until 10 April. It will then travel to the city of Mário Campos and, over the five-year Paraopeba Project, will visit all 22 participating cities.

In early 2025, WMP set out to make a film that could speak to anyone, anywhere, with no words at all. Releasing Hope is the result: a four-and-a-half-minute animated film created with Manchester-based studio Flow Creative and scored by acclaimed Danish band Efterklang. Here, the people who made it explain how a universal story of resilience, community, and hope took shape.

How do you tell a global story - one that crosses borders, cultures, and languages - without using words at all?

That was the creative task the World Mosquito Program (WMP) set for itself in early 2025.

"So the challenge was that we tell our story without really using any words," says Scott O'Neill, WMP's Founder and CEO. "By creating a piece of original, universal collateral, we wanted something that could be used anywhere and still be effective without language."

Brimming with ideas and possibilities, WMP's global communications team set out to create a powerful and meaningful animation rooted in community empowerment. From the outset, the ambition was clear: a film that could speak to anyone, anywhere, through visual storytelling alone.

Why animation?

For Communications Director Bruno Col, animation offered something no other medium could.

"I thought animation would give us the scope of imagination, creativity, and possibility that no other medium could actually offer us," he says.

In May 2025, the team began working with Manchester-based animation studio Flow Creative, alongside acclaimed Danish band Efterklang, who composed an original score. Together, they worked to craft a cinematic experience driven entirely by imagery, music, and emotion.

Visual storytelling without words

Telling this story without dialogue required careful creative balance. The animation relies entirely on visual cues - from framing, camera angles, transitions, and style — to guide viewers through the narrative and create an epic, cinematic feel.

The final look blends pointillism and illustrative styles, combining frame-by-frame drawing with rigged animation.

"It's pure visual storytelling," says Karl Doran, Founder and Creative Director at Flow Creative. "It all relies on the artwork and what you see on screen allowing you to understand what's happening but also get across that cinematic journey.

"Our goal was to create a film with drama, action, and emotional impact, whilst staying true to the science and reality of how these diseases affect people's lives.

"We hope the film will help to inspire audiences, bring global attention to the amazing work WMP is doing, and the enormous potential impact that Wolbachia could have on the world."

A human story at its core

Central to the project was developing a strong narrative built around a single character in a universal setting. The story needed to be uplifting, while also acknowledging the heavy burden of mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, which continue to strain health systems and communities around the world.

"We really wanted to frame it as a human story," says Alex Jackson, WMP's Editorial and Media Manager. "A hero's journey where we follow a girl who battles the spectre of disease."

The "spectre" itself was inspired by recurring themes in WMP community stories — descriptions of disease as a looming darkness, ever-present and threatening. This concept became the film's antagonist, symbolising the fear and disruption these illnesses bring to everyday life.

The young heroine represents something equally important: the role of young people and community volunteers at the heart of WMP's work, including community engagement and Wolbachia releases.

Collaborating with Efterklang

Efterklang's original score elevates the emotional arc of the film, particularly during moments of tension and triumph.

The three-piece band from Copenhagen - made up of childhood friends Casper Clausen, Mads Christian Brauer, and Rasmus Stolberg - have been making waves since the early 2000s, with seven studio albums released to date. The ethereal beauty of their music has graced major stages, concert halls, and festivals across the globe over two decades, with performances alongside classical orchestras at venues including the Sydney Opera House, the Barbican, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

"There was a complexity to this whole project that felt exciting to work with," says Casper. "Let's say the process of working with animation fits quite well with the way we work as Efterklang, with our music. It felt daring to do."

The band is also renowned for its creative collaborations and films, including a border-crossing exchange between the Danish stars and the Macedonian music scene, most recently highlighted in the documentary Efterklang: The Makedonium Band. Their collaborative spirit, experimentalism, and openness to new ideas made them the right choice to partner with WMP on this film.

"It's always nice and it's challenging and it's fun," adds Mads. "But it's also exciting to sort of express yourself in different ways."

Reaching new audiences

"The message is about the power of our Wolbachia intervention and how it can change lives," says O'Neill. "It's about empowering communities and creating a sense of collective action."

Releasing Hope was created to reach a broad, diverse audience, especially younger viewers who may be encountering WMP's work for the first time. The film will be supported by a reimagined comic book version of the story, alongside educational resources about mosquito-borne diseases.

For those who worked on it, the project was as inspiring as the story it tells.

"Once we learned about the science behind Wolbachia and how it could potentially change the world, we were all energised," says James Lawson, 2D Animator on the film. "Hopefully that comes across in what we've made."

In Comas, a district on the edge of Lima, dengue is woven into daily life. But Peru is now taking a different approach - one that goes beyond outbreak response. Carlos Pineda reports on how a national commitment to our Wolbachia method is putting long-term disease prevention firmly in the hands of Peruvian communities and the state.

Dengue in Lima: a disease that has become part of everyday life

In the bustling district of Comas, which lies along the Chillón River valley, near the foothills of the Andes, dengue stopped being a distinct statistic long ago. For many families, the disease is part of everyday life in this populous area of Peru's capital, Lima.

"Here in Comas, dengue is normal; people have, to some extent, lost their fear of it," says resident Liliana González.

Like her, thousands have experienced first-hand the effects of a disease that, over the past year, has significantly affected both adults and children across the country. In 2024, there were more than 271,500 cases reported and over 39,000 last year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). This situation has led Peru to rethink how it addresses dengue. Beyond outbreak response, the country is moving toward a model that prioritises sustainable, long-term solutions.

A national partnership built on local ownership

In Lima, specifically in the district of Comas, an intervention is taking shape that redefines international cooperation in public health. This is a strategic partnership aimed at transferring technological knowledge and transforming the Wolbachia method of the World Mosquito Program (WMP) into an installed, sovereign, and self-sustaining capacity of the Peruvian State.

This partnership is grounded in a national commitment and a co-financing scheme that is uncommon in the region for initiatives of this kind. The Ministry of Health (MINSA) has assumed financial leadership of the plan, covering more than 50 per cent of the total investment with domestic resources, complemented by support from the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust (PRVCU), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and technical accompaniment from the World Mosquito Program (WMP). This approach positions Peru as a regional benchmark, investing directly in its long-term health security.

What Peru's model means for the future of dengue control

The Comas project shows how countries can build their own long-term capacity to fight dengue. When WMP's support eventually ends, Peru will have the knowledge and technical expertise needed to run and sustain the Wolbachia programme on its own. This experience shows that innovation can grow and last when it is built on national leadership and local capacity — turning our Wolbachia method into a tool that the government and communities can use to protect themselves from dengue for years to come.

Wolbachia mosquito releases are due to begin in Comas later this month, and many hope it will expand to other regions of the country, bringing hope in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases.

Communities as active partners in dengue prevention

People in the community clearly understand this approach. "You can tell this is not an experiment, but something meant to protect us," says Mirna, a community leader from Zone 4 in Comas. "Knowing that it has worked in countries like Australia, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia makes me grateful for how the Ministry of Health is informing us and working to protect us." For school principals, health promoters, and neighbourhood leaders, the plan's value also comes from clear information and from involving communities as active partners in the solution.

Sharing knowledge in this way helps ensure that the programme can continue in the future without relying on a permanent international presence. Instead, it strengthens the public health system — from national authorities and regulators to health promoters working directly in communities.

"We have been fighting dengue for many years," explains Isabel Alarcón, an officer of the Incident Management System for the Wolbachia Plan. "Learning about a natural method with a strong focus on community participation, and working closely with the Ministry of Health, helps us understand it and adapt it to our local reality."

Wolbito do Brasil looks like any other office from the outside. Step beyond the meeting rooms, though, and you enter the world’s largest mosquito biofactory. In Curitiba, teams are producing Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia, a nature-based method that can help reduce dengue, Zika and chikungunya transmission. Built through a partnership between the World Mosquito Program, Fiocruz and IBMP, the facility is designed to support Brazil’s expanding national rollout and reach more communities at scale.

Expanding Wolbachia access across Brazil through WMP, Fiocruz and IBMP

The major facility, with more than 3,500 m² of built area, will dramatically expand access across the country to Wolbachia (known as Wolbitos in Brazil) mosquitoes, a nature-based disease control method that has significantly reduced the incidence of dengue, Zika and chikungunya, in Rio de Janeiro and Niterói since the method was first deployed in these cities in 2014. It is a result of a joint venture between the World Mosquito Program (WMP), Fiocruz, and the Institute of Molecular Biology of Paraná (IBMP).

The partnership builds on years of collaboration between WMP and Fiocruz, which has helped protect more than five million Brazilians across eight cities using WMP's innovative Wolbachia technology over the past decade.

The biologist explains that his team is made up of a diverse range of skillsets and backgrounds, from fellow biologists to pharmacists, veterinarians, and biomedical professionals. In a room with more than ten million mosquitoes inside the cages, you’d be forgiven for not feeling itchy from time to time, but Antonio takes it all in his stride. He admits one of the bigger challenges at the start was getting the expertise and knowledge from people across the country that know how to rear mosquitoes.

“It’s a unique facility and a new challenge,” he says. “It’s never been done on this scale before, so we’re developing many different things to produce more than 100 million eggs per week, and to attend to roughly 14 million people a year.

“We’re currently protecting six cities in Brazil as Wolbito. Three in the south: Joinville, Blumenau and Balneário Camboriú. And three in the centre: our capital city, Brasília, Valparaíso de Goiás and Luziânia.”

Antonio believes the new partnerships in Brazil will really help build on the successes already achieved in cities like Niterói. “Last year, we had the worst dengue epidemic ever in Brazil, with more than six million cases in the country. And yet, in cities like Niterói, our first municipality to be fully protected by Wolbitos, we had a reduction of (dengue cases) 89 per cent, which I hope can be replicated elsewhere.”

Ministry of Health scale-up: plans to reach 140 million people in 40 municipalities

The facility is currently exclusively used by the Ministry of Health (MOH), which has incorporated Wolbachia as one of its national strategies for combatting mosquito-borne diseases. The growing national demand is extremely high, and the MOH hopes to reach more than 140 million people across 40 municipalities with high dengue rates, in the coming years.

In the next room, production coordinators Marlene Salazar and Luciane Martins are overseeing the egg production process. For Marlene, it has been a big change not only in the working environment but also in both languages and culture. She previously worked for WMP coordinating the biofactory team in Medellín, Colombia, and arrived in Curitiba in April.

“I worked for seven years at WMP Colombia as a biofactory coordinator,” says Marlene, who has very quickly adapted to her new home and learned Portuguese in a matter of months. “It was a big challenge both professionally and personally to move from Colombia to Brazil as it was a different language, new people to work with, and the scale of production here is so much bigger.

“There’s also a shift from the manual way of working to a much more automated process — it’s an exciting time to work here. People love their jobs as we are doing very different things to save people’s lives.”

Luciane, a pharmacist, with a Master’s in industrial biotechnology, explains just how complex the mosquito production process is, and believes it is the combination of knowledge and skills that makes the team so effective.

She emphasises: “I think the big secret of our success, as Wolbito do Brasil, is our very multidisciplinary team. Day to day, we face some challenges, because when working with biological systems, there are things we cannot predict. There is an alignment of personal purposes, a sparkle in the eye of our staff, that not only want to work to improve health but also contribute to such a grand goal as the elimination or significant reduction of these mosquito-borne diseases.”

Brazil’s dengue burden and the need for sustainable vector control

Today, Brazil has the greatest number of dengue cases in the world, with one-tenth of the global dengue burden and more than 90 per cent of its population at risk of infection. One recent study noted that over the past 25 years, nearly 18 million Brazilians have been infected with the virus, with historic highs in 2024.

Brazil’s first releases of Wolbachia mosquitoes began in September 2014 in Rio de Janeiro. WMP's Wolbachia method now protects more than five million people in eight cities including Rio de Janeiro, Londrina, Foz do Iguaçu, Campo Grande, Joinville, Belo Horizonte, and Petrolina. It is also being currently implemented in Presidente Prudente, Uberlândia, and Natal.

However, one of the biggest success stories has been in Niterói, a city of roughly 525,000 people, which became the first city fully protected by WMP’s Wolbachia method. A recently published paper in Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease reports that Niterói saw an 89 per cent decrease in dengue cases.

The municipalities where Wolbito is currently releasing are chosen through a careful selection process by the Ministry of Health, and implementation has the strategic support of Fiocruz.

Fiocruz studies also show the economic benefits of such a cost-effective approach to disease control. It reports that for every R$1.00 invested, the government saves between R$43.45 and R$549.13 on medications, hospitalisations, and general treatments.

Why this work matters: the human impact of dengue, Zika and chikungunya

As you head through the biofactory, it’s notable all the staff are not only extremely friendly and knowledgeable but are clearly driven and motivated by helping improve the nation’s health. Mathias Gonçlaves, who is WMP’s Executive Director of Manufacturing, recently joined the organisation in May after more than 20 years in the manufacturing business at a host of different global companies. He focuses on the quality, safety and delivery of mosquito production, as well as scaling operations.

“It’s a little bit different, this is the first time I’ve worked with live organisms in manufacturing,” laughs Mathias. “But it’s really interesting to understand the different behaviours of the mosquitoes.

“The most incredible thing about the work here at Wolbito and WMP, is the proposition, no?! It is such a great proposal. I’m Brazilian, and living in this country, we know how difficult and how critical dengue is, along with Zika and chikungunya, for our population.

“These diseases are very familiar and impact many. I’ve had friends who have died from dengue. I really want to stand here in ten years time and be able to say there is much less dengue and threat from mosquito-borne diseases.”

Felipe Rocha, a production analyst, agrees wholeheartedly with Mathias’s comments. He’s witnessed dengue’s impacts first-hand in his family. “My father has had dengue and was very debilitated,” he says. “And especially my grandfather too, already in his 70s, he had a very hard time. He was hospitalised for over a week before recovering, and that was very difficult to witness.”

Felipe has been part of the country’s national efforts against diseases like dengue since joining WMP Brasil in Rio de Janeiro, at the end of 2016. He remembers starting just as the programme was finishing the pilot projects in Tubiacanga and Jurujuba, in Niterói, and notes there has been a huge increase in public awareness across the country of the programme.

“It’s really nice to see how the population has become so engaged as we’ve expanded,” says Felipe. “It’s a source of great pride both for me and my family, who have followed me in this journey as well. And for them to watch the news that this method is reaching many places throughout Brazil.”

As releases continue apace in numerous Brazilian cities, this huge facility and all the dedicated and passionate staff working at Wolbito do Brasil, will continue to bring hope to the future health of the country. As Antonio chuckles, he adds: “It’s not something I’ve ever imagined doing, rearing mosquitoes. But I’m so glad to be part of it, fighting these horrible viruses and bringing health to many places in Brazil.”

When dengue struck the city of Joinville in southern Brazil, it hit hard - overwhelming communities and leaving little relief in sight. Now, early results from Wolbito do Brasil's Wolbachia mosquito releases are offering renewed hope. For local public health leader Tamila Kleine, the project is deeply personal, shaped by her own experience of dengue and her commitment to protecting the city she calls home.

A city searching for solutions after a dengue epidemic

When the first phase of Wolbachia (known as Wolbito in Brazil) mosquito releases started in early 2024, Joinville was still reeling from a dengue epidemic which had impacted many parts of the city.

Tamila managed the first phases of releases for WMP Brasil and reflected on how badly the community had suffered from mosquito-borne diseases when the project was first introduced to the city.

“When the Wolbachia method arrived in the municipality of Joinville, the region was going through a huge impact related to dengue,” notes Tamila. “We were coming from a dengue epidemic, with many cases and a high number of deaths. So, the arrival of the method also brought some hope after the implementation of the first phase.”

Promising early results from Wolbachia releases

Protecting close to 360,000 people and covering 17 neighbourhoods, the first phase of releases in Joinville have shown promising early results.

“In Joinville, the Wolbachia method has always had very good acceptance,” says Tamila, who is now the regional coordinator of implementation at Wolbito do Brasil, responsible for the south and southeast regions.

“The first phase had a very positive reception from the population, which has already seen some results from phase one and is eagerly waiting for the releases. Compared to the pre and post-Wolbachia periods, we had a huge reduction in cases, around 90 per cent reduction of dengue cases.

“However, it is still very recent. We cannot prove that it is solely because of Wolbachia, but it’s certainly part of this positive result, along with all the other services and activities carried out by the city’s Environmental Surveillance.”

Scaling up protection across Joinville and beyond

This second phase, led by Wolbito do Brasil, will reach almost 75 per cent of the city’s population, covering a further 15 neighbourhoods and 150,000 people.

The small biofactory in Joinville will also act as a regional hub for other neighbouring municipalities, including releases in Blumenau and Balneário Camboriú.

Tamila also explains that the team is almost three times smaller than during the first phase, thanks to changes in the biofactory production methods, while still maintaining the same delivery and quality.

“In the first phase, the choice of neighbourhoods was made by the Ministry of Health together with the municipality, spread across the city,” says Tamila. “Now, in this second phase, we are covering neighbourhoods that had not yet been included, but not in a particularly concentrated area north or south of the region. We are aiming to cover most of the municipality.”

Looking ahead: expanding protection across Brazil

Tamila is very positive about the future ambitions of the project.

“With the arrival of Wolbito do Brasil and the possibility of bringing Wolbitos to the entire Brazilian population, I can only see salvation, reassurance, and that we can truly serve the whole country.

“I’m very happy with everything we managed to achieve last year here in Joinville. Working with the Wolbachia method, having this opportunity. It was something really rewarding for me.”

Earlier this year, Wolbito do Brasil, the world’s largest biofactory breeding Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia, began production. It marked a major new milestone in Brazil’s fight against mosquito-borne diseases, helping dramatically expand access across the country to Wolbachia mosquitoes, a nature-based disease control method.

One scientist who has been pivotal to the success of this programme is Luciano Moreira, who not only co-discovered Wolbachia’s ability to significantly reduce disease transmission in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, but also first introduced the project to Fiocruz in 2012.

The CEO of Wolbito do Brasil, who this week was announced as one of Nature’s 10 people “who mattered in science in 2025,” speaks about the opportunities and challenges of fighting mosquito-borne diseases in the country with the highest dengue burden in the world. This interview is edited for clarity below.

Can you introduce yourself and your role?

I’m Luciano Moreira, the CEO of Wolbito do Brasil, and I used to be a public health researcher for Fiocruz. I’m dedicated to continuing the work we’ve been doing with WMP Brasil and Fiocruz, helping wider expansion in Brazil under the Ministry of Health.

Historically in Brazil, WMP has had a partnership with Fiocruz, the public health institute linked to the Ministry of Health. Then in 2023, there was the idea that WMP could work with IBMP, a spin-off company of Fiocruz, to invest and build the largest facility for mosquitoes with Wolbachia (Wolbitos) in the world, which this year opened as Wolbito do Brasil.

Now, we have the capacity to produce 100 million Wolbito eggs per week. It means that we’ll be able to protect seven million people per semester, so 14 million per year. We’ll train local municipality teams to implement and do all the deployment in their regions. If we maintain this production of 100 million eggs per week, we’ll be able to protect 140 million people in the next decade. That’s a very challenging and a big number for us to work with.

Has the community response changed over time with wider distribution in more cities?

We’ve never had a negative impact in terms of the community. We always follow the PAM model in interacting with different sectors of the community, whether that’s the educational side, health workers, community and social leaders — and also because of Fiocruz’s brand, which is a very well known and respected institution in the country, more than 125 years old now — it really gave us the support needed to be trusted as a robust programme and project in Brazil. And that made a big difference.

And not only that, but because we followed all the steps. It’s not that we arrive in a city and start releasing mosquitoes, we always listen and talk to people first to check if communities have high acceptance of the method before releasing mosquitoes.

Can you talk us through the latest evidence and impact data to come out of Brazil?

Niterói was an example of where we did three separate expansions in the city, the first to be fully covered with Wolbachia, roughly more than 500,000 people. And then later on, we’ve also got Campo Grande in the west and Petrolina in the northeast where the decision was made to cover the whole city.

We had a paper in 2021 from Niterói, where results were around a 70 per cent reduction in areas where we released Wolbachia, and then in recent months we’ve just released another paper showing stable Wolbachia establishment in the city and an 89 per cent reduction in dengue cases, which is really important evidence.

We've released new evidence from Campo Grande this week which shows the positive impact on the city. I'm sure in the coming years, we'll see good results from the other cities we are currently deploying in. Joinville recently announced a huge reduction in the number of cases compared to pre-deployment.

Another thing that is happening in Brazil is in Belo Horizonte where we completed a randomised controlled trial. It’s a bit different to what we have done in Indonesia. The city had 58 clusters and the clusters were designed around public schools, so the idea was to follow children of around six to eleven years-old over four years, because they are more likely to have not had contact with dengue before. The lab tests will show that where Wolbachia was established - in half of these clusters in the city - we expect to have less disease transmission in these children. The analysis should be finished by early next year.

How does the dengue burden in Brazil impact the health system and have wider socio-economic challenges?

Dengue has been around in Brazil for four decades already and is typically seasonal. We know there are four different serotypes and depending on the circulation of each serotype, it can get really bad as people will be naive to the virus. With global warming, we are seeing the distribution of mosquitoes in the country shifting, going to every single city, especially in the southern part of the country, where we are based in Curitiba.

Curitiba, for example, has never had this problem in the past, because it is a high and cooler city. Last year was the biggest dengue epidemic here. With mosquitoes establishing in different cities and the disease circulating, that’s all that’s needed for all the epidemiological aspects of the disease and the situation in Brazil to continue worsening. I saw last year (the worst year on record for dengue in Brazil) in the city of Belo Horizonte, I would go to the supermarket and there were barely any employees because everybody was off sick at home.

I’ve had family members impacted, my sister, brother-in-law, and it was very bad. My daughter too had dengue and was really ill in bed for two weeks. Dengue is a disease that affects everyone, rich or poor, it has a high impact on people’s lives and they have to stop working. It is becoming more of a problem for the country, and it’s very expensive for the municipality to put people in hospitals, so the idea that we can reduce the burden of disease with Wolbachia is a good solution, alongside other tools.

Could you talk through Wolbito do Brasil’s plans to expand across Brazil?

Right now we have two clusters, with releases in six cities. One is in the south here and is a continuation of Joinville in Santa Catarina and two other cities in the same state (Balneário Camboriú and Blumenau), and another one is Brasília, the capital of Brazil, and two other cities - Valparaíso de Goiás and Luziânia in Goiás. We are currently looking at another five to seven clusters and next year, the idea is we will have production capacity to protect another 14 million people. The demand continues to grow. Wolbachia is part of the public health initiative now and the Ministry of Health is really pushing for us to produce more and more to protect more people in the coming years.

I’m really proud of myself and the team because we see every single face here at Wolbito ready to contribute and really want to do their part to go and protect as many people as possible - that’s the mission - people see the importance of the work on a daily basis

For Noel Maciel Junior, dengue fever isn't just a public health statistic - it's personal. The business manager has watched friends lose their lives to the disease whilst others struggled to find hospital beds during outbreaks. As he manages his artisan coffee house, Torrefação Joinville - Cafés Nobres, in the heart of the city, Noel has witnessed first-hand how mosquito-borne diseases have devastated his community. But now, thanks to our Wolbachia method, there's renewed hope in "The City of Flowers".

"Dengue here in Joinville has had a very strong effect on people," says business manager Noel Maciel Junior. "I have friends who ended up losing their lives because they contracted the virus, and others who got really sick and had trouble finding a hospital bed to be admitted to. We've had people very close to us suffer real badly."

Noel manages the artisan coffee house in Vila Prinz, Torrefação Joinville - Cafés Nobres, right at the heart of the city often called "The City of Flowers", due to its array of beautiful gardens and parks, as well as its stunning location close to mountains and lush green valleys. Joinville, a city of roughly 600,000 people in southern Brazil's Santa Catarina state, has in recent years witnessed a number of devastating mosquito-borne outbreaks.

Noel says he learned about the project through watching the news, along with the strong support by the city mayor. He's seen first-hand how Joinville has been impacted by diseases like dengue.

"Dengue has effectively caused a lot of damage to the local population," he says. "Because it's a disease that leaves people very debilitated. Many workplaces had staff shortages as a result. We've had this in our business, and the local health system simply couldn't handle the demand of people who needed medical care. It has meant great suffering for the city."

Zero deaths and dramatically fewer cases

Cases have so far this year severely dropped, as have dengue-related deaths, which between 2023 and 2024 were 86. There have currently been none so far this year.

Noel was in the right place at the right time to witness releases in the flesh this week.

"Yesterday I had the opportunity to personally see the work of people who carry out the dissemination of Wolbachia mosquitoes, because the car in front of me in the city centre traffic was opening their window, distributing mosquitoes. The stickers on the vehicle confirmed it was the (Wolbito do Brasil) releasers at work."

Noel recalls the words of the mayor at the time the releases were first being introduced to the city. He says Joinville was viewed as a test case to see if this would really work in southern Brazil.

Hope for Brazil's future

The business manager, grinding coffee beans in his very hip surroundings, believes "the experiment" has so far worked very well. "My future expectation is that this spreads throughout Brazil, because we have regions that desperately need it and have much more serious problems," he adds. "So my hope is that this project works very well here in Joinville and that soon it reduces the entire incidence of dengue in the national population."

In southern Brazil's Joinville, health agents battle mosquito-borne diseases with an innovative approach. The city's second phase of Wolbachia mosquito releases now protects nearly 75 per cent of residents, following first-phase results that showed a 90 per cent reduction in dengue cases. From early morning releases to biofactory operations, the programme brings hope to communities that have suffered devastating outbreaks.

Even by Joinville standards, the frenetic rain is biblical today. Often nicknamed "rainville" by locals, due to being one of the wettest cities in Brazil, verdant Joinville is surrounded by beautiful mountains and lush green valleys.

Despite what the elements may have in store for us, nothing has dampened the mood in a small city biofactory brimming with energy in the early hours. Fuelled by dangerously strong black coffee and armed with crates of mosquito jars, a handful of health agents fill their vehicles ready for releases, as sunrise draws near. In high spirits, the team set off for their two rounds of Wolbachia (known as Wolbito in Brazil) mosquito releases in different parts of Joinville.

Wolbachia expands to Balneário Camboriú and Blumenau

Just days earlier, the bustling Reginaldo de Souza Kock Auditorium was filled with delegates, government representatives, scientists, media and film cameras, for the announcement of the second phase of mosquito releases in the city, alongside further releases in neighbouring Balneário Camboriú and Blumenau.

"The arrival of our Wolbachia method is a fundamental reinforcement in protecting our population," emphasises Aline Leal, Health Secretary of Balneário Camboriú. "This is a safe strategy for people, animals, and the environment, which complements the prevention measures already adopted. We are confident in the results."

Priscila Ferraz, Vice President of Production and Innovation in Health at Fiocruz, adds: "The continued implementation of our Wolbachia method in Santa Catarina represents a benefit for the entire population of the three municipalities, which have been experiencing high dengue transmission in recent years."

Four days a week, Lúcia rises early and prepares for the releases in the city. She started as an endemic agent in 2023, shortly after suffering from dengue, and wanted to learn more about the country's efforts to reduce mosquito-borne diseases.

"I had dengue just a few weeks before starting to work in environmental surveillance," she says. "It was very hard. A week with lots of pain, no appetite, and a high fever. So from that moment on, when I learned about the Wolbachia project, I decided that I would also fight against this disease."

Lúcia says many people are interested and come to talk with her during releases to ask questions and understand what she's doing, but admits the reception is largely positive.

"While I am releasing the mosquitoes, I feel happy, because to me it is as if I am saving lives — every mosquito that goes out is meant to improve the environment, to stop dengue, and other diseases like Zika and chikungunya."

After the first round of releases, a quick tactical stop for more rocket fuel coffee and to re-fill the cars at the biofactory is needed, before the second releases come to an end around 9.30am.

Tamila Kleine managed the first phase of releases in Joinville and is now regional coordinator of implementation at Wolbito do Brasil. She recalls how badly the community had suffered from mosquito-borne diseases when the project was first introduced to the city.

"When our Wolbachia method arrived in the municipality of Joinville, the region was going through a huge impact related to dengue," emphasises Tamila. "We were coming from a dengue epidemic, with many cases and a high number of deaths. So, the arrival of the method also brought some hope after the implementation of the first phase.

"In Joinville, our Wolbachia method has always had very good acceptance. The first phase had a very positive reception from the population, which has already seen some results from phase one and is eagerly waiting for the releases. Compared to the pre and post-Wolbachia periods, we had a huge reduction in cases, around 90 per cent reduction of dengue cases. However, it is still very recent. We cannot prove that it is solely because of Wolbachia, but it's certainly part of this positive result, along with all the other services and activities carried out by the city's Environmental Surveillance."

Prior to the project starting in Joinville, Tamila was already working on dengue research in the municipality and also focusing more broadly on zoonotic diseases. However, dengue soon became a little more personal.

"The danger of this disease and the fear that someone in my family could get it, someone from my group of friends, from my community. I'm from here. I think it's an even greater motivation to keep going. I'm very happy with everything we managed to achieve last year here in Joinville. Working with our Wolbachia method, having this opportunity. It was something really rewarding for me."

The team protecting Joinville from mosquito-borne diseases

Alvino Rodrigues agrees with Tamila's sentiment. As the regional coordinator in Joinville, he oversees a small team, ensuring production and field operations all run as expected. With a background in Chemistry, Alvino has worked in many multinational companies coordinating laboratory operations and data analysis. He emphasises the importance of community engagement in the preparation phase alongside rigid planning of release routes, the numbers of releasers / cars needed, and potentially adverse weather conditions.

"The diseases that we face with Aedes aegypti here in Brazil are big," he says. "So everyone knows or has had a relative who has suffered from dengue, chikungunya or Zika. The opportunity to work and solve this problem, to minimise the (disease) incidence and improve the health of the population as a whole is extremely motivating for me. It's really impacted me in a good way, and that's why I am proud to work in this way."

Alvino believes the impacts of the programme affect many parts of society, from people's livelihoods to the health system.

"Once we minimise the number of deaths or people taken ill, you reduce not only the emotional impact on families, but help take the pressure off the health system, so you can move efforts to other diseases or problems. The fewer people that are sick, the more people you have working and buying, so there's also a big positive impact on the economy.

"Once we have released Wolbitos in the communities, the number of deaths and people needing health services reduced dramatically. It's a bright future for sure and shows the true positive impact of science."

Five million Brazilians now protected by Wolbachia

Wolbito do Brasil, the world's largest biofactory breeding Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia, is also fully up and running in Curitiba, just two-hours drive from Joinville. The joint venture between the World Mosquito Program (WMP), Fiocruz, and the Institute of Molecular Biology of Paraná (IBMP), will see more than 100 million mosquito eggs per week, and help dramatically expand access across Brazil to Wolbachia mosquitoes.

Tamila is very positive about the future ambitions of the project. "With the arrival of Wolbito do Brasil and the possibility of bringing Wolbitos to the entire Brazilian population, I can only see salvation, reassurance, and that we can truly serve the whole country," she adds.