Recent, but unconfirmed, information circulating about dengue control efforts has caused anxiety among some in the public. The trigger is the government’s measures to suppress the spread of dengue fever (DHF) in Indonesia, including the nationwide deployment of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria.
Controversy has arisen in the community, and even rejection has occurred in some places. This rejection occurred for various reasons, including being considered part of a research project, making mosquitoes more aggressive, and even causing other diseases, such as encephalitis. Responding to the circulating information, Professor of Biology at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) at the University of Indonesia (UI), Prof. Anom Bowolaksono, Ph.D., explained that Wolbachia bacteria do not infect humans and are natural bacteria found in the bodies of insects, including mosquitoes. Furthermore, several countries such as Australia and Singapore have also implemented this innovation and have been effective in suppressing the rate of dengue fever cases.
“The problem for humanity is how to reduce the number of dengue fever cases. Currently, there is no cure for dengue fever, so one alternative is to break the vector chain by suppressing the population of dengue-carrying mosquitoes. Because, for an outbreak or disease to occur, both the number of vectors and the number of sufferers must be considered. If the number of vectors decreases, the disease will not be transmitted as well, leading to a decrease in the rate of transmission,” said Prof. Anom.
Prof. Anom further stated that research has shown that Wolbachia bacteria can reduce mosquito viability by targeting reproductive tissue. If Wolbachia bacteria infects males, it will make them more feminine and unable to produce sperm. Similarly, in females, Wolbachia will attack the reproductive tissue and prevent them from laying eggs. As a result, the mosquitoes will not develop properly and will be unable to transmit the dengue virus to humans when bitten.
Meanwhile, Prof. Anom also explained that mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria have no connection to Japanese encephalitis, a disease that has recently become a hot topic on social media. He said, “Japanese encephalitis is indeed spread by mosquitoes. However, the mosquito that spreads it, or acts as its vector, is the Culex mosquito. Meanwhile, the mosquito infected with Wolbachia bacteria in our country is the Aedes aegypti mosquito.”
Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the Indonesian Ministry of Health (Kemenkes RI), also confirmed that the distribution of Wolbachia mosquitoes is guaranteed safe. This innovation has undergone a risk assessment and analysis involving top researchers in Indonesia. He also stated that its implementation still requires regular monitoring and evaluation. This will ensure continued monitoring and understanding of the developments in the spread of Wolbachia mosquitoes.
During a working meeting of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Indonesian Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) plans to deploy Wolbachia mosquitoes in five cities: West Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Bontang, and Kupang. These areas were targeted for the trial due to their relatively high dengue case rate, which is above the global average of 10 per 100,000 population.
