STUNNINGLY located amid a backdrop of epic volcanoes, tea plantations and the surrounding Parahyangan (Land of God) Highlands, Bandung has the envy of many cities for its dramatic natural grandeur. The capital of Indonesia’s West Java province, nicknamed Paris van Java, is known for its colonial and art deco architecture and tree-lined streets, revered for its cultural tapestry, and popular for its many fashion outlets. However, a dark shadow has also hung over Bandung in recent years. The city has one of the highest annual number of dengue cases across Indonesia.

For the past six months, Mauricio Antonio Torres has had a fairly unique routine. Every morning, the 35-year-old wakes up, dons his navy blue World Mosquito Program t-shirt and baseball hat, says goodbye to his wife and daughters, and heads for his motorbike. Torres, with his wide grin and hugely positive demeanour, joins roughly 27 other mosquito release technicians, who each have distributed routes throughout Santa Ana, San Sebastián Saltrillo, and Chalchuapa. Loading their wide Wolbachia mosquito-filled backpacks and checking an app to see which area or release points they will head to today, they await final instructions from a supervisor. Using containers, they then release Wolbachia mosquitoes at approximately 120-130 points throughout the morning.

Once a month, Norma Nájera and her niece wake up in pitch darkness and prepare for their four-hour bus journey ahead. From their hometown of San Sebastián Salitrillo to the hustle and bustle of El Salvador’s capital city, San Salvador, they set off at 3am, with the hope of making their routine 7am appointment at Benjamin Bloom's Children Hospital. Nájera says she spends a large chunk of her income on the return journey and more than often they arrive late due to congested traffic. It is an exhausting day by all accounts, but a familiar story since both suffered from Chikungunya.

With his long curled hair, flat cap and bright shirt, Bhega Silva cuts a distinct figure. However, as he weaves through the narrow alleys of his Complexo da Maré community on his bike, it is a large stuffed mosquito toy strapped to a container which piques the interest of curious passers-by.

El Salvador’s war on dengue María Eugenia Viana proudly adorns the bright yellow walls of her home with family photos. Alongside a motorcycle-themed wall planner, hanging guitar and decorations, are all her favourite memories immaculately framed, with each of her seven children, six children-in-law, and 10 grandchildren taking centre stage. The 58-year-old has lived in the verdant San Marcelino Las Flores, in the small central American nation of El Salvador, for more than 27 years, and has seen mosquito-borne diseases including dengue and Zika sweep through the heart of her community regularly.

In the Chanthabouly district of Laos’s capital city, Vientiane, Oudomshin sits by his mosquito release container with a big smile on his face. He is optimistic that positive change is happening in his small leafy community of Siswat village. The 40-year-old father knows too well what impact dengue can have on people’s lives after both he and his daughter were badly affected by the virus.

“Dengue is not the fight of one person, it's the fight of everyone, of the whole world,” says Matheo Seleone, a community volunteer in New Caledonia. Dengue has long cast a shadow on his community. The virus hit him hard and sadly killed his neighbour — something that has stayed with him for almost 40 years. It is why he believes awareness and involvement from all corners of the community in controlling the spread of mosquito-borne diseases is so important.

Historically known for its cotton production, tobacco farms, and cattle ranching, Sonsanate skirts the Sensunapan River and Pan-American Highway from El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador, down to the Pacific port of Acajutla.

“My hope is to free my country from dengue,” asserts Phoutmaly Thammavongsa. For the past 18 months, the local sweet seller and resident of Vientiane, has been one of many volunteers across the capital city of Laos helping in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases.

New research by the World Mosquito Program (WMP) and the University of Antioquia, published today in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, shows dengue cases have dropped to the lowest level in 20 years across Colombia’s Aburrá Valley following large-scale releases of Wolbachia mosquitoes. WMP’s city-wide deployments of Wolbachia mosquitoes between 2015 and 2022 in Bello, Medellín and Itagüi — protecting more than three million people — have seen dengue incidence rates drop by at least 95 per cent.

Today, severe dengue affects most Asian and Latin American countries and has become a leading cause of hospitalisation and death among children in these regions. Studies in Asia and Latin America have shown that both the burden of dengue disease and the risk of severe clinical outcomes are higher in young children than in adults.

Since the first case of dengue in Indonesia almost 55 years ago, the mosquito-borne disease has emerged as a major national public health concern. It cripples the local health systems and economy, and leads to hundreds of thousands of Indonesians, mostly children and young adults, suffering from the disease. Experts are now looking to a natural tool called Wolbachia in the fight against dengue.

When an outbreak of the Zika virus swept across El Salvador in 2016, Silvia never thought she’d be one of the many pregnant women who it affected. “It was a very difficult moment for us.” she reflects. “The time came to accept it, to look forward to our daughter’s future.”

“I really want to fight for the next generation of young people, so they don’t have to experience the pain I suffered from dengue,” says Tomi Kencana. “It almost killed me.” Tomi reflects on the night like it was yesterday, so strong is the memory of the pain, confusion and worry that was felt by him and his family that evening in hospital almost 17 years ago.

Claudia Lara has seen the impact of dengue more than most. As a paediatrician with over 25 years experience working in El Salvador’s capital city, San Salvador, she has witnessed the brutal consequences of major mosquito-borne outbreaks and the effects on young people and children. “I think every Salvadoran knows the classic symptoms of dengue,” says Lara, who herself has suffered from the disease. “Dengue almost killed me — I got dengue hemorrhagic fever.”

Nabila Ismail was 16 days into the trip of a lifetime. Having booked a one-way ticket to Bali, the Pakistani-American travel writer and pharmacist was plotting her route around the globe, when she caught dengue on the island last summer. “I took it as a bad omen,” she laughs. Just weeks before leaving New York for the Indonesian province, Ismail had coincidentally been researching a piece for the Pharmacy Times on vaccine developments for the fastest spreading mosquito-borne disease.

With its gold-clad temples, lush landscape, laid-back cosmopolitan feel, Vientiane can charm the most hardened soul. Steeped in legend and history, the Laos capital hugs the banks of the Mekong River with its tree-lined streets, French colonial buildings, and the stunning Buddha Park that lies on the city edge, home to more than 200 Hindu and Buddhist statues.

Endemic now in more than 100 countries, dengue is one of the few infectious diseases that has increased steadily over recent decades. The world’s fastest-spreading tropical disease continues to relentlessly break records — 2022 was no exception, with little sign the upward trend is changing soon.

Motorbikes weave hurriedly down the historic Gajah Mada Street, while stall holders artfully display local delicacies and handicrafts ahead of the day’s market. Nearby, others cool down by taking a dip in Badung River. Tree-lined streets lead to an array of glistening temples, palaces and museums. Bustling, sprawling and ever-growing, Bali’s capital, Denpasar suitably brims with life and colour.

The indigenous leader on empowering her community to combat dengue with the Wolbachia method. Alicinda Tibério remembers the impact of dengue like it was yesterday. “The symptoms are dreadful,” she says. The indigenous leader of the Água Bonita Urban Village, in Campo Grande, west central Brazil, was in bed for almost 15 days when she was diagnosed with dengue following a blood test.