![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250824a85e2788d6b8493ababdd51ef5a31e0e_ChkhgeE007005_20250824_CBMFN0A001.JPG\"\/)
Tourists visit the Lao Art Museum in Vientiane, Laos, July 13, 2025. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane\/Xinhua)<\/p>\nTourists visit the Lao Art Museum in Vientiane, Laos, July 13, 2025. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane\/Xinhua)<\/p>\n
VIENTIANE, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) — In the fight against dengue, Laos is expanding the release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, a safe and effective method that turns mosquitoes into tiny warriors against the virus.<\/p>\n
In early August, Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes were released across seven districts of the capital Vientiane. The move builds on the success of a pilot project in 2022, which saw the deployment of Wolbachia mosquitoes in several areas of the city, protecting 32 villages and nearly 86,000 people.<\/p>\n
Wolbachia is a natural and safe bacterium that reduces the ability of dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to transmit viruses between people. The bacteria-carrying mosquitoes breed with the wild Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the area, passing Wolbachia to their offspring.<\/p>\n
Many citizens have expressed strong support for the ongoing efforts, particularly among those who value environmental protection.<\/p>\n
Khonesavanh, a resident of the capital, viewed the method as both an eco-friendly and smart solution that safeguards public health while preserving the natural environment.<\/p>\n
She believed the approach offered a sustainable, long-term form of protection, and said it minimized harm to both people and nature.<\/p>\n
“I feel satisfied that our government has chosen a method that not only helps prevent and reduce the spread of the disease, but also shows concern for environmental protection and overall effectiveness,” she told Xinhua on Saturday.<\/p>\n
According to a Lao Ministry of Health report, Laos reported 2,614 cases of dengue fever in the first half of 2025, marking a significant decrease from the 5,192 cases recorded during the same period in 2024.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, no dengue-related deaths were reported in the country from January to June, compared with three deaths in the same period in 2024.<\/p>\n
Molakod, a medical student, said dengue fever requires serious attention, as it can be difficult to diagnose in its early stages but can lead to life-threatening complications if not treated in time.<\/p>\n
Molakod said she appreciates the government’s proactive measures in fighting dengue, adding that the battle is far from over.<\/p>\n
“The government is doing its part, now we have to do ours. We all need to take care of our homes, our yards, and make sure we’re not giving mosquitoes a place to breed, especially during the rainy season,” said Nilamon, a 35-year-old resident of Vientiane province, told Xinhua.<\/p>\n
Nilamon believed the real power lies in community action. She urged residents across the country to take personal responsibility by keeping their homes and surroundings clean and safe.<\/p>\n
As of Aug. 16, Laos has reported 6,746 cases of dengue fever, including one death. The highest number of cases was recorded in the capital Vientiane, which reported 3,405 infections.<\/p>\n
The battle was far from over.\u25a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tourists visit the Lao Art Museum in Vientiane, Laos, July 13, 2025. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane\/Xinhua) VIENTIANE, Aug.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19362,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[18,16890,135,19,17,16889],"class_list":{"0":"post-19361","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-feature","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-laos-mosquitoes-dengue-control"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19361\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}