Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam said the new method in preventing the spread of dengue was being conducted by the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) to replace the population of wild Aedes mosquitoes.

“A total of 16,000 male and female Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes have been released at 300 dengue hotspots in Keramat AU2 areas,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

According to the statement, various anti-dengue activities involving residents were also being intensified in Section 7, Shah Alam in Selangor before embarking with the deployment of the Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in the areas.

Subramaniam also said the deployment of such mosquitoes, monitored by IMR, would take place on a weekly basis until 60% population of the wild Aedes mosquitoes in AU2, Keramat was replaced with the Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes.

He said studies had shown that the Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes could prevent the spread of the dengue virus among humans.

The Wolbachia technique, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), is the latest method being applied by several countries such as Australia, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore.

For a more detailed and the latest information on the method, members of the public can access www.imr.gov.my/wolbachia .