Far North Queensland has been declared free of dengue fever for the first time in more than a century, scientists have announced.

Key points: A staggered breeding program has introduced the Wolbachia bacterium into the region's mosquito population

A staggered breeding program has introduced the Wolbachia bacterium into the region's mosquito population This has been found to reduce dengue transmission by the Aedes aegypti mosquito

This has been found to reduce dengue transmission by the Aedes aegypti mosquito Scientists will continue to monitor for dengue and a range of other mosquito-borne viruses in the far north

In a research paper made public on Friday, scientists from the World Mosquito Program (WMP) declared that local transmission of the mosquito-borne virus had essentially disappeared from the Cairns population since an eradication program began in 2011.

They said the program was the launch pad for an eradication program they hoped would save 100 million lives worldwide over the next five years.

Far North Queensland has previously been regarded as a high-risk region for dengue.

WMP director Scott O'Neill said they hoped the success of the eradication program would have implications for other diseases such as Zika virus and yellow fever, which are also transmitted via mosquitoes.

"We've seen almost the complete collapse of locally acquired dengue in previously high-risk transmission areas in cities and communities across Australia's far north," Professor O'Neill said.

"Ongoing long-term monitoring will establish whether these communities have been 'dengue-proofed' and whether the protection extends to other mosquito-borne viruses like those that cause Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever."

WMP Oceania hub director Cameron Simmonds said their experience in Far North Queensland had been "critical".

"This is really the launch pad for a global program to eliminate these diseases, for which we don't have good tools to control them," Professor Simmonds said.

A staggered mosquito breeding program has been introducing Wolbachia bacterium into the far northern mosquito population. ( Supplied: World Mosquito Program )

Over the past eight years, the WMP scientists have been introducing the Wolbachia bacterium into the region's mosquito population through a staggered breeding program.

Wolbachia has been found to reduce the transmission of dengue in the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is responsible for passing the disease on to humans.

Since the program began, there has been a 93 per cent decrease in reported dengue cases in Far North Queensland, Professor O'Neill said.

He said school children, community groups and businesses had helped grow and release Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes into the community.

"These releases were over short release durations, ranging from two to 22 weeks," Professor O'Neill said.

"After this, the Wolbachia mosquitoes breed with wild mosquitoes so that the percentage of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes rises and stays high, and the whole population has a reduced ability to transmit viruses like dengue from person to person."

Scientists have worked with locals in Far North Queensland to release Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. ( Supplied: World Mosquito Program )

Professor O'Neill said the disappearance of locally acquired dengue occurred even when imported cases of the virus continued to rise.

"Importantly, we've shown the method can be readily established in local Aedes aegypti mosquito populations using a variety of methods," he said.

Cairns Tropical Public Health Services director Richard Gair said it was exciting news.

"Far North Queensland is now essentially a dengue-free area for the first time in well over 100 years," Dr Gair said.

Program now running overseas

Professor Simmonds said it was a multi-pronged intervention that could target common diseases in Latin America, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific.

He said the program, which began in Far North Queensland, was now being implemented in 10 other countries around the world.

"Our ambition is to protect 100 million people over the next five years," he said.

"The learning out of Far North Queensland has really framed and formed how we operate overseas."