Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) is expanding its Project Wolbachia to five new areas by the end of 2026, aiming to combat dengue. The initiative will introduce male Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Bukit Panjang, Little India, Pioneer, Toa Payoh, and Ang Mo Kio. This expansion will bring total household coverage to over 800,000, achieving the project's goal of covering half of Singapore's households.
The Wolbachia mosquitoes will be released in phases starting April 20. Male mosquitoes do not bite and cannot transmit diseases. When they mate with wild female Aedes mosquitoes, the resulting eggs do not hatch. Studies show this method has reduced Aedes mosquito populations by 80 to 90 percent and lowered the risk of dengue by over 70 percent in release areas. The project complements existing dengue prevention methods like removing stagnant water sources.