Parents with Wolbachia mosquitoes should keep a bucket full of eggs

Jakarta (ANTARA) –

The DKI Jakarta Health Service confirmed that foster parents of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia must look closely after the buckets containing the eggs until they hatch so that the mosquito population is as expected.

This was expressed by the Acting Head of the Disease Prevention and Control Department in the DKI Jakarta Health Office, Maryati Kasiman, in a seminar with the topic “Strengthening Wolbachia Mosquito Control through Community Empowerment” held by the DKI Jakarta Health Service , Tuesday.

These foster parents (OTA), that is people willing to care for the eggs of the Aedes aegypti mosquito which contain Wolbachia bacteria. Maryati said health workers living in areas where Wolbachia mosquitoes are active can become OTAs.

“Later, we will explain how it works (at OTA), including regarding the replacement of packages because two weeks after the introduction of new eggs, changes will be made technical,” said Maryati.

Later, at OTA’s house there is a bucket containing the eggs of the Aedes aegypti mosquito carrying Wolbachia. This bucket is relatively small, similar to a chocolate jelly container and is prohibited during larval monitoring of mosquito nest elimination (PSN) to suppress dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF).

Placing buckets full of eggs in OTA homes is part of the process of removing Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In Jakarta, the implementation of the program is expected to start on 27 September 2024 in Kembangan Utara, West Jakarta.

Every two weeks, mosquito breeding is monitored in buckets protected by OTA.

The introduction of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia in one area is said to be successful if the number of mosquitoes with Wolbachia reaches 60 percent compared to other mosquito populations.

“Removing the bucket after six months saw that 60 percent of the mosquito population had been reached. The bucket would be withdrawn for use in other areas,” said Maryati.