Hey Minas State GovernmentOn Monday (29/4), the Public Ministry of Minas Gerais (MPMG) and the Office of the Public Defender of Minas Gerais (DPMG) participated in the completion ceremony of the Wolbachia Method Biofactory, in Belo Horizonte. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Health, the World Mosquito Program (WMP) of Brazil/Fiocruz and the Association of Relatives of Victims and Those Affected by the Dam Collapse in Brumadinho (AFAPROM).
The biofactory will be owned by the state of Minas Gerais, under the management of the State Ministry of Health (SES-MG).
“I am very happy to start working on this unit. The plant will have the capacity to produce 60 million mosquitoes per month, and I am sure that over time, we will have much better numbers,” said Governor Romeo Zema, regarding the method that is to release Aedes aegypti with Wolbachia. of dengue fever.” to the population (i.e. mosquitoes that do not transmit diseases).
“This plant will revolutionize the future of the state of Minas Gerais. With the increasing number of mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria, dengue numbers will decrease over the years, thus avoiding the excessive burden on the health system and the suffering of many people. “For me, it is a pleasure,” he added. “I see that the health of Minas Gerais is moving in the right direction.”
The implementation is an obligation of Vale SA and was carried out as part of the judicial agreement – signed by the parties Government of Minas, MPMG, the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), DPMG and the Vale SA party – which aims to repair the damage resulting from the collapse of the mining company's dams in Brumadinho, which It occurred in January 2019. The tragedy claimed 272 lives and generated a series of social, economic and environmental impacts.
“All this achievement is thanks to everyone’s work State Secretariat for Planning and Administration (Seplag)Led by Secretary Luisa Barreto. “Since January 25, 2019, when the tragedy occurred in Brumadinho, the entire secretary team has worked hard so that we can be here at this moment.”
The Minister of Planning and Administration, Luisa Barreto, reaffirmed her commitment to always fight for the terms of compensation for the Brumadinho tragedy.
“Our commitment, as the government of the state of Minas, is not to repair the pain of those who lost loved ones in the Brumadiño tragedy, that is irreparable, but to strive through our actions to bring an important heritage to the state of Minas Gerais every day in the state of Minas Gerais from the period of repair.” He said that the legacy that remains here today is one of the most important, as it is a legacy that will save many lives.
Works began in February 2023, on a plot of land with an area of 4,000 square metres, in the Çamlira neighbourhood. The facilities contain laboratories and spaces for the administrative sector, and the building area is 1,125 thousand square meters.
“This plant is modern and has a very large production capacity. We will work hard so that we can be a reference throughout Brazil. We turn disaster into life. This shows how committed we are to striving for prevention and promoting health and quality of life”, highlights the Secretary of State for Health, Fabio Baccheretti.
Representative of the Association of Relatives of Victims and Those Affected by the Rupture of the Mina Corrego do Feijão Dam (AFAPROM), Eddy Aparecida Tavares Pinto, said that these measures, for the sake of the health of the population, provide comfort to the families who lost loved ones in the tragedy.
“We realize that this compensation resource greatly impacts the population. We are aware of the legacy that our jewelry has left, and this gives us a little encouragement. Therefore, using the funds to invest in the preventive, physical and mental health of people, provide social actions that contribute to quality of life, and generate opportunities Work, income and other related measures, are ways to seek to restore meaning to the lives of many who were like this. We thank Governor Romeo Zema and the entire government of Minas Gerais for continuing to search for other gems.”
The beginning of the process
The Biofábrica project is being implemented in two phases, with a total investment of more than R$ 77 million:
- Construction of the building with an investment of about R$ 20 million;
- and the operation phase, which anticipates an investment of at least R$ 57 million.
In addition to the construction of the building, Vale SA has equipped and furnished the unit – these steps are based on the social and economic audit of the Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV). The mining company will also pay for operations costs for five years.
After completion of the works, negotiations for mandatory operating licenses and review of contracts will also be completed with Fiocruz, responsible for implementing projects in Brazil using the Wolbachia method, patented by WMP. The process is expected to begin by January 2025.
It is estimated that the weekly production of the biofactory after the start of activities will be two million mosquitoes. Once introduced into the environment, they will reproduce with native Aedes aegypti and form a population with Wolbachia, preventing dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses from evolving and, therefore, contributing to reducing arbovirus transmission.
According to the terms of commitment signed between the two parties, in the first phase of the project, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia bacteria will be released, with the consent of the population, in Brumadinho and 21 other municipalities linked to the Paraopeba River Basin. The State Department of Health (SES-MG) expects that mosquito production will subsequently expand throughout the state.
It should be noted that these insects are not genetically modified and do not transmit diseases. WMP is an international non-profit initiative working to protect the global community from mosquito-borne diseases.
How it works?
The method is to release Aedes aegypti with Wolbachia so that it reproduces with the local Aedes aegypti, gradually creating a new population of these mosquitoes, all with Wolbachia. Pittus, as they are called, are non-GMO and do not transmit diseases.
Wolbachia is an intracellular microorganism found in 60% of insects in nature, but not found in Aedes aegypti. When present in these mosquitoes, it prevents dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and urban yellow fever viruses from developing inside the mosquitoes, contributing to the reduction of these diseases.
Once Wolbachia-containing mosquitoes are released into the environment, they breed with field mosquitoes and help create a new generation of Wolbachia-containing mosquitoes. Over time, the percentage of mosquitoes carrying the microorganisms increases until it remains high without the need for further release.
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