Wolbachia mosquitoes will be released at five new locations in Singapore to combat dengue fever

The expansion came after the NEA found an 80 to 90 percent decline in the Aedes aegypti mosquito population in its multi-site field study.

The two-year study, which began in July 2022, was intended to determine the impact of Wolbachia technology on dengue cases and clusters, in addition to its impact on the Aedes population. The study will release Wolbachia mosquitoes in locations such as Bedok, Choa Chu Kang and Punggol.

Initial results of the study suggest that residents of these locations are about 75 percent less likely to be infected with dengue fever, NEA said.

Speaking to reporters at a community event on Thursday, Sustainability and Environment Minister Grace Fu said the average monthly number of dengue cases fell from 3,000 cases in 2022 – when Singapore experienced a dengue outbreak – to 1,300 this year be.

“This is a very encouraging sign. We want to continue and expand the Wolbachia project, but of course this is not a panacea. We must continue to ensure residents practice good housekeeping practices to keep mosquito breeding to a minimum.”

She added that the NEA is yet to complete the study and examine the cost benefit, effectiveness and capacity of the project.

“We need to complete the study so we can compare the results. So it’s not just about the number of (dengue) cases, because the number of cases also depends on factors like the weather and … whether we have an outbreak,” she said.

“We want to carry out the study properly because it obviously requires investment in production capacity.”