Ministry of Health Conducts a Trial for Dengue Virus Paralytic in 7 Cities/Regencies

Director General of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) of the Ministry of Health Maxi Rein Rondonuwu. (ANTARA/HO-Kemenkes)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) is expanding trials of Wolbachia, a natural bacteria that can grow naturally in insects, especially mosquitoes, which can paralyze the dengue virus in the bodies of "aedes aegypti" mosquitoes in seven cities/districts in Indonesia.

"We all know that dengue is a killer, especially children. Every year quite a lot of people die," said the Director General of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) of the Ministry of Health, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, September 12.

Based on the Ministry of Health's report, he said, dengue in Indonesia reached 25 cases per 100,000 population in 2018 and increased to 52 cases per 100,000 population in 2022.

In addition, the case fatality rate also increased from 0.71 percent to 0.86 percent in the same period.

Wolbachia trials are being carried out in Semarang City, West Jakarta City, Bandung City, Kupang City, Bontang City, Denpasar City and Buleleng Regency.

According to him, the trial location was determined based on the Decree of the Minister of Health Number 01.07/Menkes/1341/2022 concerning the Implementation of the Dengue Control Pilot Project.

Wolbachia is a genus of bacteria that lives as a parasite in arthropod animals. Wolbachia infection in animals will cause parthenogenesis, death of male animals, and feminization.

These bacteria are gram-negative, rod-shaped, and difficult to grow outside the host's body.

The effectiveness of Wolbachia has been researched by scientists in Yogyakarta with the philanthropic support of the Tahija Foundation through the preparation and release phase of Aedes aegypti containing Wolbachia on a limited scale in the 2011-2015 period.

"If a male Aedes aegypti carrying Wolbachia mates with a female Aedes aegypti, the dengue virus in the female mosquito will be blocked," said Maxi Rein.