Singapore has announced the expansion of its Wolbachia program, a significant move to fight against dengue fever, according to CNA reports. The initiative involves releasing male Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into specific areas to suppress the population of disease-carrying mosquitoes, aiming to control dengue transmission interrupting the reproduction of Aedes mosquitoes.
The expansion, announced Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment Baey Yam Keng at the International Vector-Borne Diseases Conference, targets five new residential zones in the southern part of the country – Bukit Merah – Telok Blangah, Clementi – West Coast, Commonwealth, Holland, and Marine Parade – Mountbatten. These areas were strategically chosen based on historical dengue risk, mosquito population, and the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) production capacity for these mosquitoes with the goal of boosting the coverage of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes from 26% to 35% of all households in Singapore.
The Wolbachia program, under Project Wolbachia, involves releasing male mosquitoes carrying the Wolbachia bacteria to mate with female Aedes mosquitoes to reduce the population of disease-transmitting mosquitoes. The program has shown promising results with dengue mosquito populations in selected study sites seeing a reduction of over 90%. However, the effectiveness of Wolbachia technology has shown variations across different sites and years, prompting the agency to stress the need for ongoing research and development.
NEA is planning long-term strategies to fortify Wolbachia operations, including the development of an additional source of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes beyond their current capacity. While the initiative exhibits significant potential for dengue control, NEA emphasizes the need for continued community efforts to combat mosquito breeding. This strategic approach aims to reduce the number of male mosquitoes required for effective dengue suppression in these areas. Stay posted here at Tech Times for future updates.