This application of the sterile insect technique (TIE), consisting in the sterilization of males of that species by gamma rays to decrease their population, was carried out, for the first time, at the ABEN Multipurpose Irradiation Center (CMI) in El Alto.

An institutional note states that in this way Bolivia took its first steps in the application of the TIE against the agent transmitting a widespread disease such as dengue with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through the regional cooperation project called RLA 5083.

The text reports that with the “improvement of capacity for the use of TIE as a component of mosquito control programs in the Latin American and Caribbean region” it was possible to train Bolivian personnel and receive donations of equipment for the development of the different stages of the implementation of this technology.

On November 28, 2024, in cooperation with Ecuador and the National Institute of Health Laboratories (Inlasa), the first irradiation of mosquitoes was carried out under the guidance of the International Expert Dr. William Ponce Yaulema, in the context of South-South cooperation.

He added that in this way the First Joint Commission for Scientific Technical Cooperation between the Government of Ecuador and the Plurinational State of Bolivia was concretized.

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