Kiribati is intensifying its fight against mosquito-borne diseases like dengue by expanding the World Mosquito Program’s Wolbachia method. This community-supported public health initiative is especially vital as climate change and insecticide resistance escalate disease risks across the Pacific. The project aims to protect nearly 45,000 people in South Tarawa.
Mosquito-Borne Diseases on the Rise in the Pacific
In a sea of blue and white banners, balloons and posters, a group of young dancers from the Red Cross Youth Group take centre stage to perform a traditional dance. It is one of many moments that help create such a vibrant celebration marking the start of the World Mosquito Program’s (WMP) second phase of Wolbachia mosquito releases in South Tarawa, Kiribati’s capital, and home to more than half the country’s population.
The public launch event reflects Kiribati’s close-knit community spirit, with representatives from international agencies including the World Health Organisation and UNICEF, as well as local disability and women's advocacy groups, NGOs, and not forgetting President Taneti Maamau, all in attendance. Chatter fills the air as exuberant music gives way to live comedy, formal speeches, a cake-cutting, and an array of delicious local foods, as well as the opportunity to take a closer look at mosquitoes through a microscope.
Climate Change and Its Role in Dengue Transmission
It has been more than seven years since WMP partnered with the Kiribati government to bring its Wolbachia method to local communities on the island country, which is made up of 33 atolls, and occupies a huge area in the equatorial Pacific - almost 4,000km from east to west and more than 2,000km from north to south. Home to the South Pacific’s largest marine reserve, many of the atolls are very low-lying and inhabited.
The country knows too well the impacts of climate change and global warming as rising sea levels threaten communities and livelihoods, and also accelerate the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. Dengue, Zika and chikungunya have a long history in the Pacific, and this year has seen a relentless surge of dengue with Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands all declaring outbreaks. All countries apart from the Cook Islands have recorded at least one death.
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“Dengue fever is the world’s most prevalent disease spread by mosquitoes,” says Dr Greg Devine, WMP’s Senior Director of Field Entomology. “Cases are increasing across the Western Pacific and South East Asia. All of these countries experienced significant dengue outbreaks in 2024 and 2025, and the general trend in cases globally is relentlessly upwards.
“These increases are fuelled by climate change, increasing globalisation and immunological naïveté, where human populations are being exposed to new dengue serotypes, alongside the limited impact of existing control measures.”
How Kiribati Is Using Wolbachia to Prevent Dengue
Funded and supported by the Australian government, WMP’s project was rolled out in high-risk communities across South Tarawa, including Betio and Bairiki, between June 2018 and June 2019. The first phase of the project saw almost 3,150 volunteers take part in a range of community engagement activities to raise awareness. This included helping release mosquitoes, hosting bug traps and promoting the project, which resulted in a 97% acceptance rate in the capital.
The second phase will build on this success and expand Wolbachia coverage to the remaining densely populated areas of South Tarawa over a 14-month period starting this summer, protecting almost 44,650 people.
Community Backs Mosquito Control Effort
“The successful launch of Kiribati phase two marks a major step forward in protecting the people of South Tarawa from dengue, Zika and chikungunya.” says Darren Stanford, WMP’s Field Entomology Manager overseeing the project in Kiribati.
“The dedication of the Kiribati WMP team and the strength of community and government partnerships are laying the groundwork for a healthier, safer future for the people of Kiribati.”
Why Sustainable Mosquito Control Matters for Public Health
Long-term monitoring from phase one with the Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services has shown extremely positive results. Devine says responses to dengue outbreaks largely involve the application of insecticides and the implementation of environmental “clean-up” campaigns, but he believes these have limited long-term impacts.
“Resistance to insecticides is increasingly documented in the Pacific, and this further reduces the impact of conventional vector control,” he notes. “The upward trend in dengue case numbers regionally will inevitably stress public health systems and impact family well-being (through both the health and economic costs of hospitalisation and the lost earnings of the sick).
“Sustainable ways to combat dengue, such as the Wolbachia method, are desperately needed. Vaccines are still years away from being universally affordable and applicable.”
As festivities at the launch event come to a close, there is a huge sense of optimism in South Tarawa that they may one day see a community free from mosquito-borne diseases.
