This Pau-based international NGO is developing a pioneering technique against mosquito-borne viruses.

VsIt is a small courtyard accessed from Ru Tran in the city center of Pau. He overlooks a building with a pastel orange facade, where wooden floors crunch under visitors’ feet. It’s hard to believe, but we’re actually at the nerve center of the World Mosquito Program (WMP), an NGO that uses pioneering technology to fight mosquito-borne diseases worldwide. It has been a year since she moved to her premises in Pau.

“We will stand beside the statue…

VsIt is a small courtyard accessible from Ru Tran in the city center of Pau. He overlooks a building with a pastel orange facade, where wooden floors crunch under visitors’ feet. It’s hard to believe, but we’re actually at the nerve center of the World Mosquito Program (WMP), an NGO that uses pioneering technology to fight mosquito-borne diseases worldwide. It has been a year since she moved to her premises in Pau.

“We’ll be standing next to the Diana statue,” exclaims Scott O’Neill when we ask him to pose for a photo. It must be said that the Australian biologist has some connection with the goddess of hunting who sits in the center of the court. The difference is that its game is called Dengue, Zika, Yellow Fever or Chikungunya. His weapon? A bacteria called Wolbachia. When implanted into an Aedes aegypti mosquito, it inhibits the growth of the virus. The insect can thus bite humans without spreading disease.

“Pau is a great environment,” smiles Scott O’Neill, who has lived in Bern for two years, where he has family ties. “People who meet us expect us to live in Paris. But we are better here. A minor drawback is the air service. We have to go to Tarbes or Toulouse. » About fifteen people work at the WMP premises in Pau for a total of 80 employees worldwide.

It targets Africa

Among them, Thierry Scholl came in the summer of 2023. The Basque native has lived in Pau for over twenty years, where he worked for a consulting firm before joining WMP. It is responsible for receiving funding at the European level, whether from the European Union or its member states.

“The organization’s activity is extremely impressive. Scott reminded us the other day: Our mission is to protect people. » The forty-year-old does not hide his enthusiasm: “We are extremely challenging, but it is also very positive. » European funds should make it possible to establish WMP activity in Africa. “We have contacts to work with in Dakar, Senegal,” says Scott O’Neill. Dengue is more difficult to identify there as it is sometimes confused with malaria. Our organization is a partnership with Pasteur. »

In Brazil, the World Mosquito Program is preparing to reach a critical milestone. Construction on the factory in Curitiba, in the south of the country, began in early March. By 2025, it should be possible to produce 100 million Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes per week. Released into the wild, they will colonize their environment through reproduction and propagate Wolbachia. By increasing Brazilian production, WMP believes it can protect 70 million Brazilians by 2035.

Eleven million people protected

In the meantime, it was necessary to raise an envelope of 20 million dollars to expand the factory. “It would cost between 100 and 200 million to set up a vaccine site,” assures Scott O’Neill. For several years, WMP has been leading the campaign in Niteroi, a town opposite Rio de Janeiro. “In early February, 60 cases of dengue were reported in Niteroi. In Rio, where we didn’t intervene, there were 17,000,” emphasizes Scott O’Neill.

To date, the WMP is in force in 14 countries around the world, protecting eleven million people. It continues its action in Oceania and New Caledonia, where the campaign will be conducted out of Noumea. The organization also received three million dollars from the Australian government to complete the distribution of its “inert mosquitoes” in major cities in Laos. He partnered with Save the Children there.

And in mainland France? Scott O’Neill raised the possibility of investigating the case of the tiger mosquito, a cousin of Aedes aegypti. The fact is that NGOs need philanthropic or public funding to carry out their projects. The Australian met the mayor of Pau, François Barrow, this led to a partnership. “But we’re patient,” says Scott O’Neill. He recalls that indigenous cases of dengue fever are on the rise, especially in southern Europe. Diana, goddess of the hunt, would not be too protective.