KRjogja.com – JAKARTA – Research results from the Center for Tropical Medicine, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) stated that the Aedes Aegypti mosquito containing Wolbachia was not the result of genetic modification (non-genetic modifying organism/non-GMO).
This statement was conveyed by the Head of the Communications and Public Services Bureau of the Indonesian Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Siti Nadia Tarmizi confirmed in Jakarta, Friday (17/11/2023)
“No. Because there have been research and risk studies,” he said when confirmed by news circulating that Wolbachia has the risk of triggering new diseases that are dangerous to human health due to genetic modification factors.
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In the report file from the UGM Center for Tropical Medicine which Nadia shared with journalists, it was stated that the Wolbachia bacteria that were introduced into the body of Aedes Aegypti were identical to the Wolbachia in its original host, namely Drosophila Melanogaster or a type of winged insect belonging to the order Diptera, commonly known as fruit flies. .
Additionally, Australia’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OTGR) has stated that Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes containing Wolbachia are not considered GMO.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC) on its website also states that mosquitoes with Wolbachia are not genetically modified.
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In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies Wolbachia as a new vector control product that falls into the biological control class.
The UGM Center for Tropical Medicine also confirmed that there was no difference in the number of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes before and after the mosquito larvae containing Wolbachia were released.
In the report, it was stated that the safety aspects of Wolbachia in Indonesia were tested by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) along with the Indonesian Ministry of Health’s Health Research and Development Agency (Balitbangkes) in 2016 by forming 20 independent team members from various expertise.
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“The conclusion of the risk assessment of Wolbachia releases in Yogyakarta is that the release of Wolbachia-bearing Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes is at a very low risk, where in the next 30 years the chance of increasing danger is negligible,” reads an excerpt from the report.
Wolbachia also does not infect humans, does not occur horizontal transmission to other species and does not pollute the biotic and abiotic environment. The increase in the number of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes in the release area only occurred during the release period.
2023-11-17 16:50:00
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