 Mosquito-borne illnesses, such as dengue and zika, are being battled through an innovative sterilization approach. The Sterile Insect Technique, or SIT, is a type of birth control for insects. Already successful in controlling major crop and livestock insect pests, SIT is being refined and validated to control mosquitoes that transmit diseases to humans. Special factories mass rear millions of male mosquitoes, sterilize them with radiation, and then release them into target areas at regular intervals. Male mosquitoes do not bite, and therefore do not transmit diseases. But they do mate with the wild females, and as the males are sterile, there are no offspring. When sufficient sterile male mosquitoes are released, each successive generation will have fewer wild mosquitoes, and the population will be suppressed. Combining traditional control methods with the release of sterile males aims to reduce mosquitoes enough to prevent disease transmission. As there is no environmental pollution and no development of resistance, it is a sustainable method. A unique collaboration of international agencies is working together to apply this approach to reduce human suffering.