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Alphabet's Debug programme has applied to the US Environmental Protection Agency for an experimental use permit to release Wolbachia-infected male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Florida and California.
The application requests permission for up to 16 million males in each state in a given yearâa deployment that could total up to 32 million in year one and, if repeated, as many as 64 million over two years.
Debug's approach uses the naturally occurring bacterium Wolbachia to render eggs non-viable when infected males mate with wild females; released males do not bite or transmit disease.
Verily/Debug point to prior field results â including strong suppression in Fresno and trials in Singapore and Australia â showing large reductions in biting females and, in some cases, dengue incidence.
The EPA review follows a public comment period and has prompted debate: public-health advocates and researchers highlight potential to cut dengue, Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases, while critics warn of ecological risks, the optics of corporate-led biological interventions, and the need for community consent and tight regulatory oversight.






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