Wolbachia Mosquito Release in West Jakarta Awaits Govt Approval

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of the West Jakarta Health Agency, Erizon Safari, confirmed that the release of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes in Kembangan, West Jakarta, was still pending the legal process from the provincial government.

“We are still waiting for the legal process from the provincial government,” Erizon told Tempo via a phone call on Tuesday, Dec. 5.

According to him, the date of the release will be determined by the city administration.

The government is determined to use Wolbachia bacteria to control dengue transmission in dengue-endemic cities after the successful program in Yogyakarta. The Health Ministry said on Nov. 20, that the use of Wolbachia had proven effective in reducing cases by up to 77 percent.

Previously, the release of Wolbachia mosquitoes was scheduled to take place in early December 2023. “Until today, the meeting between the Health Ministry and the Provincial Government has not been held,” Erizon added.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry spokesperson Ngabila Salama said that the program requires a detailed process. “From placing the bucket, monitoring eggs hatching, to catching the mosquitoes for evaluation in the laboratory,” Ngabila explained in her written statement.

She claimed that trained personnel and officers in West Jakarta are all ready, consisting of officers from the West Jakarta Health Sub-Department, community health centers, mosquito larvae controllers or jumantik cadres, and coordinators.

Ngabila said the ministry was still in the process of socializing and collecting data on the locations to place the eggs of Wolbachia mosquitoes. “This is no longer a study project, but is a program implementation following the successful one in Yogyakarta,” she said.

NOVALI PANJI NUGROHO

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