South Africa to Use Decoy Mosquitoes in Malaria Elimination Effort

South Africa’s malaria‑elimination programme is poised to receive a new form of biological support: millions of sterile “decoy” mosquitoes bred at the continent’s first dedicated mosquito factory. The insects, produced through the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), will be released to compete with wild vectors, reducing the number of viable offspring and helping to suppress malaria‑carrying populations.

The SIT initiative is a joint effort between the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and Wits University. By sterilising male mosquitoes and releasing them in large numbers, the programme aims to interrupt transmission cycles without the use of chemical insecticides. The factory’s production capacity is expected to meet the scale required for regional deployment, marking a significant step forward in South Africa’s integrated vector management strategy.

If successful, the sterile‑mosquito releases could accelerate the country’s progress toward malaria elimination, offering a sustainable, environmentally friendly tool that complements existing interventions. The partnership’s continued investment in research and production will be critical to scaling the approach across high‑risk areas.