Liputan6.com, Bandung – Acting (Pj) Governor of West Java (Jabar), Bey Machmudin, guarantees the safety of the Wolbachia mosquito distribution method developed by the Ministry of Health to prevent cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DBD).
According to Bey, it is hoped that this method will be effective in eradicating dengue fever after the Ministry of Health conducted scientific clinical trials before deciding to implement this method.
“Actually, it has gone through a testing process, so the goal is good. Of course we shouldn’t be too reactive because it has been tested first. Of course there will be benefits later and we believe that this has been done by the Ministry of Health after being tested first,” said Bey, Bandung, Wednesday, November 22 2023.
Bey said that so that there is no misinformation about this matter, socialization of the method of spreading the Wolbachia mosquito needs to be expanded, especially in areas where it is being tested. The goal is that people can easily accept the Wolbachia method to ward off dengue fever.
Wolbachia is a bacteria that can grow in the bodies of insects except mosquitoes Temples of the Egyptians. Through a series of experiments, world researchers succeeded in inserting the Wolbachia bacteria into the body of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Wolbachia bacteria are known to prevent the replication of the dengue virus in mosquitoes.
So, when the Aedes aegypti mosquito sucks human blood containing the dengue virus, it will be resistant and will not spread to other human bodies.
Wolbachia bacteria can be transferred through eggs and are safe for humans. If a female mosquito with wolbachia mates with a male without wolbachia, all of her eggs will have wolbachia.
If a male mosquito with wolcahia mates with a female without wolbachia, the eggs will not hatch. If a male and female with wolbachia mate, the offspring will automatically have wolbachia.
It is known that the Ministry of Health has spread Wolbachia mosquitoes in five Indonesian cities, starting from West Jakarta, Semarang, Bontang, Kupang, to Bandung City, as the only area in West Java. Recently, epidemiologist from Australia’s Griffith University Dicky Budiman reminded the Ministry of Health to be careful with using the wolbachia method to prevent dengue fever, because it has the potential to form new mutations.
West Java is still facing the threat of dengue fever and is a challenge for the provincial government as well as district and city governments to overcome.
The Health Department noted that from January – June 2023 there were 7,512 cases of dengue fever in West Java, 49 of whom died. The city of Bandung contributed the most dengue cases in West Java with 1,021 cases, while the city of Banjar had the fewest with 20 cases.
2023-11-24 02:00:29
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