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Axios Latino is the newsletter that summarizes the key news for Latino communities throughout the hemisphere every Tuesday and Thursday.
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1. The topic to highlight: Modified mosquitoes to the rescue
A program using biotechnology-modified mosquitoes that has been successful in reducing the incidence of life-threatening diseases in cities in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico is being expanded to benefit millions more people.
Why it matters:
Outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever (diseases transmitted by the
Aedes aegypti
mosquito ) have long hit the Americas and other tropical regions hard.
Experts say climate change has worsened the spread of these diseases, as rising temperatures favor the life cycle of mosquitoes and their arrival in more areas, including, increasingly, the United States.
These diseases also tend to affect more impoverished areas where a lack of healthcare options means that a mosquito bite can become fatal.
Diseases like dengue "feed on, and feed on, poverty and inequality," World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week during an event in Brazil.
To wit:
Studies show that in recent years, work led by the World Mosquito Program in collaboration with local groups and governments has contributed to 76% fewer dengue cases and 56% fewer chikungunya cases in NiterĂłi, Brazil.
The process of releasing some of the modified mosquitoes in BrazilCourtesy of the World Mosquito Project
In MedellĂn, Colombia, another city where the program has been tested, reports of dengue infection decreased by up to 95% by 2022 compared to previous years.
The program using
Wolbachia
bacteria in Latin America, first launched in 2014, has been slowly expanding.
Starting this year it will grow even more, as the construction of a new factory that seeks to produce up to 100 million genetically modified mosquito eggs per week is scheduled to be completed, according to researchers.
They indicate that this could protect 70 million people in Brazil for a decade.
They comment that they hope that, in the future, the factory may also be able to supply other nations.
How it works:
Mosquito eggs are injected with
Wolbachia
bacteria , which has been nicknamed the Trojan horse because it neutralizes mosquitoes in several ways:
The bacteria slows the replication of the virus carried by mosquitoes, sometimes making it inactive so that the mosquito does not transmit it, even if it bites.
When male mosquitoes with
Wolbachia
mate with female mosquitoes without the bacteria, mosquito larvae do not hatch in the eggs laid by those females.
When female mosquitoes with
Wolbachia
lay eggs, the larvae emerge but already carrying the bacteria, which makes it much less likely that they can transmit diseases for several generations.
In their own words:
Modified mosquitoes are only released with the acceptance of communities and local governments, says Luciano Moreira, leader of the World Mosquito Program in Brazil and researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a leading public health research institution.
"Partnering with communities and governments is part of what helps the program succeed," adds Moreira.
But, but, but:
Using
Wolbachia
is only part of the solution.
A recent article published in the medical journal The Lancet says that spreading large-scale use of insecticides by authorities and insect repellent by society must remain a priority.
Especially now that
Aedes aegypti
has begun to spread in places where its presence was previously uncommon, such as central-northern Europe.
Most mosquitoes breed in people's homes, taking advantage of stagnant water, so campaigns urging people to cover water containers and use mosquito nets are also important.
Vaccines, such as a new one against chikungunya and recent ones against strains of dengue, will also help make a difference, says the Pan American Health Organization.
But the health agency emphasizes that inoculating enough people will take time, especially because the prices of these vaccines make mass purchasing difficult.
2. They project greater participation of Latino voters for November
A new analysis of estimates of the Latino vote in the United States for this November's elections indicates that 17.5 million Hispanic voters will participate, with a considerable increase in participation in several key states.
Why it matters:
Projections from the specialized group NALEO Educational Fund predict that Latinos will have an important electoral role in states that could be decisive, such as Arizona and Nevada.
In numbers:
Approximately 16.5 million American Latinos voted in the 2020 presidential elections, according to NALEO.
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Using that data as a trend, along with participation figures from the last six presidential cycles, the fund prepared projections for 2024.
With this analysis, it is estimated that in Nevada the participation of Latino voters will increase almost 16% compared to 2020, going from about 239,000 votes four years ago to about 276,000 this year.
For Florida, the group predicts that Latino participation will grow by 14%, going from 1.8 million voters in 2020 to more than 2 million this November.
The projected increases are 12% in New York and 5% in Arizona.
Overall, an estimated 36.2 million U.S. Latinos are eligible to vote this year, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center.
3. Disgust with the US federal response to the situation on its southern border
About 80% of Americans say the U.S. government is doing a poor job dealing with the large number of migrants at the border, according to a new poll.
It also shows that 45% of people surveyed say the US federal government is doing a very bad job.
Why it matters
: Political squabbles, blame-passing, and a certain level of indecision have affected Joe Biden's Democratic administration's response to the situation.
In that context, this week Republicans in Congress shot down immigration reform, and then the House of Representatives (controlled by Republicans) voted to begin impeachment proceedings against Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Mayorkas says the accusations against him do not apply, and Democrats have called the situation a "political hoax."
Details:
In the new poll, 45% of people surveyed said the high numbers of migrants at the US-Mexico border represents a crisis, while 32% said it is a serious problem, according to the data from the Pew Research Center.
Among those who described the situation as a crisis, 70% are Republicans and 22% are Democrats.
While 60% of Americans say that increasing the number of immigration judges and dedicated staff to speed up asylum application processes is what would improve the situation.
And 56% say creating more opportunities for people to legally immigrate to the US would represent improvements for everyone.
The Biden administration
has been defending its response to the situation, stating that the president has adopted several measures that mitigate the number of illegal crossings while seeking bipartisan legislation to further address the issue.
4. More fences against dissidents in Venezuela
Ahead of general elections scheduled for this year, the regime of Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro is intensifying its actions against dissident voices through an order for UN Human Rights officials to suspend activities in the country, as well as arrests and a proposal to restrict the work of civil organizations.
General overview:
This happens when the electoral authorities are about to finalize the date for the presidential elections, and even though the United States has warned that it will reinstate the sanctions on oil and gas that were lightened after the Maduro Government committed, last October, to hold fair elections.
A woman holds a sign during a protest in favor of Venezuelan activist RocĂo San Miguel, on February 14, 2024Gabriela Oráa/AFP via Getty Images
Maduro said last week in a public speech that he would win those elections "by hook or by crook."
The candidate chosen by the opposition, MarĂa Corina Machado, also faces attempts to discredit her victory in the opposition primaries and prevent her from running.
News impulse:
This Thursday the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that a technical team from the UN Office for Human Rights must leave the country and suspend activities.
Last week, in addition, authorities detained activist RocĂo San Miguel at the airport and then charged her with allegedly helping plan an alleged assassination plot against Maduro, which San Miguel's lawyers deny.
Four members of the activist's family were also detained, although they were later released on parole.
San Miguel, a lawyer who heads a civil organization focused on accountability among the Armed Forces, remains detained in Venezuela's most infamous prison, Helicoide, where there have been reports of routine torture.
Up close:
Several Venezuelan civil organizations have warned about other actions that the Maduro government has taken in recent weeks, claiming that it is to stop alleged coup attempts (claims that human rights groups consider flimsy).
In January, for example, 33 soldiers—nine of them high-ranking—were expelled from the Armed Forces.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab, a Chavista who is sanctioned by the US Treasury, said the fired officers harbored "conspiratorial" plans for alleged coups or assassination attempts.
The officers have not spoken publicly to respond to the allegations.
Beyond:
Venezuela's Chavismo-controlled National Assembly is in final debates on a bill that the UN warns could criminalize civil organizations.
In recent months, the Maduro regime has also taken steps to ensure that Essequibo—an oil-rich territory in dispute with Guyana—belongs to Venezuela.
5. Summary of key news in Latin America and the Caribbean
1.
The Guatemalan president
, Bernardo Arévalo, announced this Wednesday the creation of a National Anti-Corruption Commission, an organization that emerges from a similar one that was inactive for some years.
Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
Arévalo said that the commission will help develop measures and legal actions to combat impunity in the Central American nation.
The commission will be advised by a citizen panel made up of representatives from academia, civil organizations, private companies and indigenous groups, Arévalo said.
2.
The Director of the
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Rahul Gupta, arrived in Ecuador this Wednesday for a three-day visit.
Gupta is visiting as Ecuador is under a declared state of emergency to combat criminal groups associated with international drug cartels.
Pachanga Thursday
Every Thursday we publish our Pachanga to highlight reader achievements.
If you or someone you know has just celebrated an anniversary, adopted a pet, or had a job success and wants to celebrate, send an email with information and a photo to
axioslatino@axios.com
The one who does not deserve pachangueo is Luz Patricia Hernandez, who is the first Latina in the position of president of the Society of Comparative and Integrative Biology, a scientific association with a global presence.
Courtesy of Lisa Silverman
Hernandez is a professor of biology at George Washington University.
She is passionate about science and helping university students who are the first in her family to access tertiary level studies.
She herself was the first in her family to go to university for a bachelor's degree, which she later paid for with postgraduate degrees until she completed a doctorate at Harvard University.
Thanks for reading us!
We return on Tuesday.
And thanks to Carlos Cunha, Bruno GarcĂa Gallo and Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath for helping review and edit.
If you want to share your experiences with us or send us suggestions and comments, send an email to
axioslatino@axios.com
.
Do you want to read any of the previous editions?
What past mass deportation policies show about Trump's immigration plans
Record number of Latinos eligible to vote: “Their power to influence the results is real”
Latino voices in the fight for abortion rights in Texas: “It hurts me that these stories are not told as much”