Buleleng –
The plan to spread millions of Wolbachia mosquito eggs in Denpasar and Buleleng has had its pros and cons. The distribution of mosquito eggs, which was claimed to be able to prevent dengue fever (DHF), which was scheduled to be carried out on 12-13 November 2023, was finally postponed.
Acting (Pj) Buleleng Regent Ketut Lihadnyana emphasized that to date no Wolbachia eggs or mosquitoes have been distributed in the Buleleng Regency area. According to him, the Buleleng Regency Government (Pemkab) is waiting for the policy of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes).
“If there is no official policy from the central government, we don’t want to implement it. Moreover, this concerns human lives. Don’t play around. The government must protect its people,” said Lihadnyana in a press statement received detikBaliThursday (16/11/2023).
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Lihadnyana explained that the Buleleng Regency Government did not want to rush into accepting the program. According to him, the program to spread Wolbachia mosquito eggs is only at the socialization stage.
He emphasized that until now there have been no instructions or recommendations from the Ministry of Health regarding the application of the Wolbachia method in efforts to overcome dengue fever. According to him, the spread of Wolbachia mosquito eggs has caused public unrest.
“The Buleleng Regency Government does not want to implement the Wolbachia method before there is a policy from the central government,” added Lihadnyana.
Meanwhile, Head of the Disease Prevention and Control Division at the Buleleng Health Service (Dinkes) I Gede Artamawan said that the socialization stage for the spread of the Wolbachia mosquito did not receive assistance from the Ministry of Health. According to him, only parties from the World Mosquito Program (WMP) provided outreach.
Meanwhile, WMP plans to use Buleleng Regency and Denpasar City as pilot models. The distribution of Wolbachia mosquito eggs is also planned to be implemented in 55 villages/sub-districts in Buleleng Regency.
“However, from February 2023 until now there has been no policy or recommendation from the Indonesian Ministry of Health regarding DB management using the Wolbachia method,” stressed Artamawan.
Acting (Pj) Governor of Bali Sang Made Mahendra also responded to the pros and cons of the plan to spread millions of Wolbachia mosquito eggs in Denpasar and Buleleng. According to him, outreach regarding the spread of the Wolbachia mosquito needs to be carried out more intensively so that the public understands. He asked experts to explain the purpose and effectiveness of the Wolbachia mosquito in treating dengue fever.
“We are postponing it, we need to socialize it. There is resistance from the public who are divided into pros and cons,” said Acting Bali Governor Sang Made Mahendra after attending a plenary meeting at the Bali Provincial DPRD building, Thursday (16/11/2023).
Millions of Wolbachia Mosquito Eggs Destroyed
Chief of Partnership, Strategic Program and Operation Save the Children Indonesia Erwin Simangunsong said that the Wolbachia mosquito eggs that were prepared to be distributed in Denpasar and Buleleng were destroyed. This follows a delay in the spread of mosquitoes which are said to be able to overcome dengue fever.
“With the delay that occurs, the eggs will be destroyed because they have a short shelf life,” said Erwin, Wednesday (15/11/2023).
Erwin explained that initially Wolbachia mosquito eggs would be distributed to 22 thousand households in Denpasar and Buleleng. Initially, the egg distribution will be carried out periodically for 12-20 weeks.
Later, Erwin continued, from the number of eggs received by one house, only four to five mosquitoes were obtained. Half of the mosquitoes will be male mosquitoes which do not bite humans. “In fact, most people will never notice an increase in mosquitoes being released,” said Erwin.
Erwin realizes that there are still concerns from a number of parties regarding the spread of Wolbachia mosquito eggs. In fact, he said that wolbachia is a natural bacteria that has existed in insect populations for a long time and there is no evidence that the spread of wolbachia is harmful to humans, animals and the environment.
Erwin claims that the spread of the Wolbachia mosquito in Yogyakarta has been effective in reducing dengue fever by up to 77 percent. Hospitalization of patients due to dengue fever also fell by 86 percent. “We actually believe that implementing Wolbachia in Bali will be more beneficial for tourism because it can increase tourist safety and dengue fever in Bali can also decrease,” said Erwin.
Watch the video “Get to know the Wolbachia method, eradicate dengue fever using natural bacteria”
[Gambas:Video 20detik]
(iws/nor)
2023-11-16 13:44:51
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