JAKARTA: Siti Nadia Tarmizi, Head of the Communications and Public Services Bureau of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), emphasized that the spread of wolbachia mosquitoes is not related to the increase in cases of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) in Indonesia.
Wolbachia mosquitoes are a variety of mosquito that carries the wolbachia bacteria which can suppress the activity of the dengue virus in the body of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, thereby helping control the spread of dengue fever.
“On the contrary, the Wolbachia mosquito helps prevent the dengue virus when it sucks human blood, so that the virus cannot be transmitted,” explained Nadia to Kompas.com Sunday (24/3/2024).
According to Nadia, the main factor causing the current increase in dengue cases is the change of season from rainy to dry.
The current weather changes in several areas create an environment conducive to mosquito breeding.
DHF cases have indeed experienced a significant increase in the last month, as has happened in Jakarta, where there were 1,729 dengue cases as of March 18 2024.
This increase in the number of cases can be seen from a spike of 1,102 people infected compared to 627 cases on February 19 2024.
In West Java, dengue fever cases also reached a significant number, reaching 11,000 cases.
The status of Extraordinary Events (KLB) has been determined in several areas such as Jepara, Enrekang, West Kutai, East Lampung and Nagekeo.
