Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The engineered mosquito ‘Wolbachia’ has become a hot topic in recent times. The reason is, these mosquitoes are the newest solution to prevent the spread of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF).
In an official statement on the Sehat Negeriku page, it is explained that Wolbachia mosquitoes have been released in five cities in Indonesia. Respectively, Semarang, West Jakarta, Bandung, Kupang and Bontang.
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The mosquitoes resulting from lab tests were able to paralyze the dengue virus contained in the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It is hoped that the spread of the Wolbachia mosquito will stop the spread of the virus so that it does not infect the human body.
Bill Gates through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is one of the sponsors for research on the Wolbachia mosquito. In Indonesia, mosquito testing was first carried out in Yogyakarta.
“A randomized controlled trial in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, found that Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes reduced dengue cases in that city by 77 percent and dengue fever inpatients by 86 percent,” said Gates in his personal blog.
Bill Gates is willing to be bitten by a Wolbachia mosquito
Gates talked about his visit to Indonesia in an article he published on his personal blog in 2014. He said researchers at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) asked him to participate in a project aimed at controlling the spread of dengue fever.
“Researchers at UGM are part of a global project to explore the possibility that a bacteria called Wolbachia can be used to control dengue fever. This bacteria occurs naturally in around 70% of insects and is not dangerous to humans,” he explained.
Furthermore, he said the bacteria were able to block the transmission of dengue fever from mosquitoes. Unfortunately, mosquitoes do not naturally carry the WolbachiaWolbachia bacteria.
“Fortunately, the research group was able to infect the mosquitoes with Wolbachia-Wolbachia bacteria. Now, thanks to collaboration with researchers around the world, they are developing mosquito colonies to stop dengue fever,” he explained.
Gates also underlined that the Wolbachia mosquito development project in Indonesia was funded by the Tahija Foundation. He said researchers first released Wolbachia mosquitoes in Australia in 2011.
Then, with the support of the government and local communities, teams in Indonesia began releasing Wolbachia mosquitoes around Yogyakarta.
“During my visit to Yogyakarta, I had the opportunity to release many Wolbachia mosquitoes,” he said.
He also had time to chat with local residents. Several people told about how dengue claimed the lives of their family members. With the presence of the Wolbachia mosquito, residents are relieved that this deadly virus can be overcome.
“I am amazed by the research team in Indonesia. Every week, they volunteer their hands to be bitten by female Wolbachia mosquitoes which need human blood to lay eggs. There is no risk after being bitten by this mosquito, but the painful effects of the bite are still the same,” he said.
Then, Gates also showed off his experience of being bitten by a Wolbachia mosquito.
“I agreed to let the Wolbachia mosquito taste my blood. In just a few minutes, my arm was swollen from dozens of bites. It seemed insignificant to the impact that this extraordinary project had to fight a deadly disease,” he concluded.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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2023-11-25 00:00:00
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