In 2012, China opened a unique mosquito factory consisting of a small island on the outskirts of Guangzhou, South China Morning Post reported. The goal of the project is to wipe out mosquito-transmitted diseases such as the Zika virus, Dengue fever, and malaria.

Local scientists injected mosquito eggs with the Wolbachia bacteria in a laboratory and then released these injected male mosquitoes in the unique island. These injected male mosquitoes sterilize their female counterparts while mating with them, which in-turn helps in controlling the population of mosquitoes.

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"The aim is trying to suppress the mosquito density below the threshold which can cause disease transmission," said Zhiyong Xi, director of the Sun Yat-sen University Centre of Vector Control for Tropical Diseases. "It will dramatically reduce disease transmission."   

Xi added that many prominent countries have expressed interest in this experiment, especially Brazil and Mexico. Zhiyong Xi is widely considered the pioneer of this idea.

One villager, who has been living on the island for nearly six decades, claims that the experiment has been so successful that he no longer needs a mosquito net to enjoy a peaceful sleep.        

"We used to have a lot of mosquitoes in the past. Back then, some people were worried that if mosquitoes were released here, we would get even more mosquitoes," he said.

Mosquito-transmitted diseases are held responsible for more than a million deaths globally every year. The Zika virus, which came into prominence only a few years back, has become a major concern for athletes competing in this year's Rio Olympics.     

Last year, Brazil was plagued with the outbreak of the Zika virus that has since spilled over to other countries. China reported its first case of the Zika virus in February.

TagsZika virus, Zika virus in China, Mosquito Factory in China, china