Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto Alegre is the oldest hospital in Rio Grande do Sul and one of the most modern hospital complexes in Brazil. It is recognized for the quality and safety of its medicine. Recently, it entered into an unprecedented partnership with Oxitec, an English biotechnology multinational founded at the University of Oxford and present in Brazil since 2011 in Campinas, São Paulo. The partnership was mediated by Bioseta Intelligence Environmental.
The company developed an innovative and sustainable solution called Aedes do Bem, approved by the National Technical Commission on Biosafety (CTNBio), in 2020. The biological technology uses self-limiting male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which do not bite and do not transmit diseases. The product consists of a reusable box and refills containing the eggs of self-limiting male mosquitoes.
Aedes do Bem develops inside this Box of Good as soon as it is activated with clean water. When males reach adulthood, they fly from the box to the urban environment, actively seek out and mate with female Aedes aegypti – which bite and are responsible for transmitting diseases such as dengue, zika, chikungunya and yellow fever. From this crossing, the females do not survive and only the male offspring reach adulthood, inheriting the self-limiting trait from their parents. The result is a drop in the number of females that bite and transmit diseases, and, consequently, targeted population control of Aedes aegypti.
Bioseta, Oxitec’s official partner for the implementation of Aedes do Bem in southern Brazil, installed 10 Caixas do Bem in five strategic points of the 25 thousand square meters of the hospital complex Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Porto Alegre. The technology, free of chemical insecticides and highly effective in biological mosquito control Temples of the Egyptianswill effectively protect the nearly 9,000 employees, in addition to patients and companions who circulate daily through the site.
With more than 6 million attendances per year, Santa Casa also intends to alleviate dengue cases in the city. According to data from the State Department of Health (SES), Porto Alegre recorded four deaths from dengue among the 4,600 confirmed cases. In all, there were a little more than 7 thousand notifications in 2022.
Santa Casa’s Environmental Management Coordinator, Bruna Trolli, highlights the importance of this project: “The most important thing for our institution is to be able to work preventively, avoiding the spread of the insect and possible contamination of the community and our employees.”
Aedes do Bem act specifically to control Aedes aegypti and do not affect other species of insects beneficial to the environment, such as bees and ladybugs; do not cause any harm to the environment, people and animals. They are non-toxic and non-allergenic. They are not concentrated along the food chain and do not cause adverse effects when consumed by other animals.
With 219 years of history and a path of pioneering spirit and credibility, Santa Casa de Misericórdia in Porto Alegre was the first location to activate Oxitec technology in the southern region of the country.
In Brazil for 10 years, Oxitec’s purpose is to equip governments, communities, companies, families and citizens with safe, targeted and sustainable solutions for insect control. The technology developed by the company has been studied and analyzed by independent researchers, academics and specialists for more than a decade, with more than 100 scientific articles published on the multinational’s work.
“Both companies prioritize sustainable practices as they work day and night in service to their communities. The implementation of our Aedes do Bem solution to control the dengue mosquito in the Santa Casa areas of Porto Alegre will benefit thousands of people daily. It is an honor to implement our technology and protect the population from the dangerous Aedes aegypti”, says Natalia Ferreira, General Director of Oxitec in Brazil.
The installation of Caixas do Bem at the Santa Casa Hospital Complex in Porto Alegre was carried out by Bioseta, the official partner of Aedes do Bem responsible for implementing the technology in the southern region of the country. The company has been operating in the market for over 35 years, developing solutions in the areas of environmental health, water and air quality, phytosanitary treatment and environmental consulting.
“The commitment to implement Aedes do Bem in the south of Brazil converges with Bioseta’s values, to bring sustainable and innovative practices to the market, aimed at people’s health and environmental preservation. environmental balance and minimizing the use of chemicals.”, says Bruno Osório, Executive Director of Bioseta Intelligence Environmental.
96% suppression of Aedes aegypti in the interior of São Paulo
As part of the controlled scientific study that led to the approval of the technology by regulatory agencies, releases of Aedes do Bem mosquitoes were carried out for 11 months in densely populated urban communities affected by dengue in the municipality of Indaiatuba, in the interior of São Paulo, and led to significant suppression of the local Aedes aegypti population by up to 96%.
The study, which was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, tested two different release doses of male Aedes do Bem mosquitoes in densely populated communities in the municipality. Populations of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes — which transmit dengue, zika, chikungunya and yellow fever — were monitored in these regions during the period and their presence in the environment was compared with populations in other neighborhoods that did not receive male Aedes do Bem mosquitoes. During peak mosquito season (November 2018 to April 2019), Aedes aegypti populations in treated areas were suppressed by between 88% and 96% relative to untreated areas.
Oxitec CEO Gray Frandsen commented, “The publication of these groundbreaking results provides further validation of our Aedes do Bem solution as an effective and – most importantly – scalable mosquito control tool. We now offer the safest, most sustainable, targeted and most effective product in the world to combat the disease-carrying mosquito, Aedes aegypti. As this solution is rolled out to homes, communities, cities and businesses across Brazil, we are excited to make an impact across the country with a wide range of stakeholders, and with the promise that this demonstrates a large-scale impact against mosquitoes worldwide. More exciting announcements to come.”
Natalia Ferreira, director of Oxitec do Brasil, said: “Dengue presents a daily threat to communities across Brazil. I am immensely proud of my team, based in the state of São Paulo, for playing their part in demonstrating the unrivaled effectiveness of Aedes do Bem in combating the mosquito responsible for transmitting dengue in Brazil. Our focus now is on making a national impact, ensuring we deliver the highest quality products to our rapidly expanding customer base across Brazil.”
About Oxitec
Oxitec is a leader in the development of biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock. Founded in 2002 at the University of Oxford, Oxitec is led by a passionate team of 15 nationalities and is supported by world-class public, private and not-for-profit partners.
Learn more at www.oxitec.com.br
About Bioseta
Bioseta Intelligence Environmental is a reference in the South Region of Brazil, it works with solutions for sustainability in the areas of phytosanitary treatment, urban pest control, environmental health, biosecurity, guarantee of air and water quality and environmental consultancy. Learn more at www.bioseta.com.br.
