Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Ministry of Health  planned to supply Bandung in West Java, with over 5.4 million Aedes aegypti mosquito eggs containing Wolbachia per week for dengue control trials. Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, the Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the Health Ministry, revealed on Wednesday (27/3/2024) that the eggs will be sourced from Gadjah Mada University or the Vector and Reservoir Disease Research Institute (B2P2VRP) in Salatiga. "In 2024, in the 10th week alone, Bandung reported 27,852 dengue cases with 250 fatalities. Bandung tops the list for dengue cases in Indonesia, with 1,301 cases and seven deaths," he said, as reported by antaranews.com. To ensure effective distribution, Director General Maxi emphasized the need for 20,782 bucket placement points to serve as egg breeding grounds. The Ministry will utilize satellite imagery to position the buckets accurately and involve local communities in managing the trial. Wolbachia technology, developed through a collaboration between Gadjah Mada University, Tahija Foundation, and Monash University over the past decade, has shown promising results. It reduces dengue incidence by 77 percent and hospitalization risk by 86 percent. Given its effectiveness, the Health Ministry  has adopted Wolbachia technology and initiated pilot projects in Semarang, Bontang, West Jakarta, Kupang, and Bandung, as per Minister of Health Decree Number 1341 of 2022. (mg/inp/pr/nm)