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Bridegtown, Barbados 15^th December 2023 — Orbit Service Partners Inc., a Barbados registered company and an emerging provider of innovative solutions in the field of public health, announces a groundbreaking collaboration with Verily, an Alphabet precision health technology company based in South San Francisco, USA, to introduce the Debug programme in Barbados and the Caribbean. Orbit Service Partners is the first group commercially licensed to operate the Verily Debug vector control programme.

This initiative aims to significantly reduce populations of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, carriers of diseases such as dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya, in the Caribbean Region.

The Debug programme uses advanced technology to rear and release non-biting, non-GMO Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes which are effectively sterile because they carry a naturally-occurring bacterium called Wolbachia which makes them unable to have viable offspring with wild female mosquitoes. This innovative method has shown extremely promising results in other regions, including Fresno, California and Northern Australia, and Orbit Services Partners will now be able to deploy this technology in the Caribbean to address the mosquito-borne disease challenges faced by the region.

Key Highlights of the Debug Programme:

1. Wolbachia Bacteria Approach: The programme leverages Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes carrying the Wolbachia bacteria, a natural occurring and safe bacterium that has proven effective in suppressing and reducing the population of disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

2. Collaborative Expertise: Orbit Service Partners and Verily bring together their collective expertise in public health, technology, logistics and research to enable a comprehensive and sustainable  solution to combat Aedes aegypti mosquito borne diseases.

3. Regional Impact: The initiative is designed to have a positive impact not only in Barbados but throughout the Caribbean region. By targeting Aedes aegypti mosquito populations, the  programme aims to contribute to the overall improvement of public health and well-being of residents in the Caribbean.

“We are excited to partner with Verily to bring the Debug programme to Barbados and the wider Caribbean,” said Anthony DaSilva, Chairman at Orbit Service Partners. “This collaboration represents  a significant step forward in our commitment to advancing public health solutions and reducing  the impact of mosquito-borne diseases in the region. We are humbled yet excited to have an opportunity to continue Verily’s work to mitigate mosquito borne diseases that continue to have  devastating impacts across our region,”

“Verily is proud to partner with Orbit Service Partners to address one of the most challenging public health problems—the spread of mosquito-borne diseases,” said Linus Upson, Vice President of Engineering at Verily. “The Debug programme applies the latest in technology and life science research to make a meaningful impact in the fight against Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and deliver on our promise of advancing precision health worldwide by helping communities live healthier lives.”

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has noted the continued  increase, over the past six months, in reports of suspected and confirmed cases of dengue in the Caribbean region. Furthermore the agency has suggested that the associated risks and ripple effects must not be underestimated as outbreaks of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases like Zika and Chikungunya pose a significant threat to health, tourism, as well as social and  economic development (Source: Loop News Barbados).“While 2019 was distinct for being the year with the highest reported dengue cases in the Americas, CARPHA anticipates that 2023 may surpass that historic high.” (Source: Dominica News- 2023)

Project Wolbachia – Singapore has reported more than 90% reduction in dengue mosquito populations at the first four sites. Residents living in areas with at least one year of mosquito releases were up to 77% less likely to be infected with dengue (Source: NEA| Project Wolbachia (1).  Debug has contributed to mosquito releases at one of the four sites since 2018 (Source: NEA| Project Wolbachia (2) ).

As of October 2023 Green VI’s Bugout Wolbachia programme, with technical partner Verily, has shown up to 83% reduction in biting Aedes aegypti females in treated areas of Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands. The release of Wolbachia male mosquitoes started in January 2023 and is ongoing until July 2024. (Source: Green VI’s website)

About Orbit Service Partners Inc.

Orbit Service Partners Inc. is an emerging provider of innovative public health solutions, committed to improving the well-being of communities through advanced technologies and collaborative  partnerships.

About Verily:

Verily is an Alphabet health technology company focused on research, care, and health financing to deliver on the promise of precision health and help people live healthier lives. We are uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology, data science, and healthcare to create tools to accelerate evidence generation, products to enable more personalized care, and approaches to make costs more predictable. For more information about Verily please visit verily.com.

For media inquiries or further information, please contact:

Janelle Edwards for Orbit Service Partners, Inc.

Business Development and Communications Manager

jedwards@orbitservicepartners.com

+1246 820-0525

Steven Cooper for Verily

Head of Media Relations

sjcoop@verily.com