Project Wolbachia turns 10: Dengue cases in Tampines fell from 1,200 in 2020 to 77 in 2025

Project Wolbachia took a walk down memory lane on Saturday (Oct 31), returning to where it began a decade ago — in Tampines — as the initiative commemorates its 10th year.

Singapore is the first in the world to deploy the Wolbachia technology in a high-rise, high-density tropical environment for the suppression of the Aedes aegypti mosquito population.

It began in 2016 at three pilot sites - Braddell Heights, Tampines West and Nee Soon East - and now covers over 840,000, or about 53 per cent, of all households in the country.

Explaining the project, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a media factsheet that when male Wolbachia-Aedes mosquitos mate with urban female Aedes aegypti mosquitos that do not carry Wolbachia, the resulting eggs do not hatch.

This, in turn, reduces the Aedes aegypti mosquito population by up to 90 per cent at release sites, with residents in those areas experiencing over 70 per cent reduction in dengue risk.

The male Wolbachia-Aedes mosquitoes do not bite or spread diseases.

Speaking at a commemorative event in Tampines West on Saturday, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Dr Janil Puthucheary noted that the reduction in dengue risk was published in The New England Journal of Medicine, one of the world's leading medical journals, earlier this year.

More importantly, he said, the reduction in dengue risk among residents in the deployment areas is a significant step forward in efforts to protect communities from dengue.

The senior minister of state pointed out that dengue cases in Tampines has also fallen from almost 1,200 during a major outbreak in 2020, to just 77 cases last year.

"Of course, dengue cases fluctuate from year to year, but this is an encouraging sign that our sustained efforts to protect our communities are making a very real difference," he said, adding that the decade-long project has seen local and international scientists and institutions partnering it to further innovative technologies, processes and operational capabilities.

But he also cautioned that Project Wolbachia is not a silver bullet and does not replace the need for communities and residents to remain vigilant, adding that dengue prevention is a shared responsibility.

"We must continue to do our part to keep our homes and neighbourhoods free of mosquito breeding sites, so that we can sustain the progress we have made."

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation is reviewing scientific evidence on Wolbachia approaches, including lessons from Singapore, to develop future guidance for countries.

What began as just an experimental research project has since grown into an important public health intervention, with the potential to benefit communities well beyond our shores.

沃尔巴克氏体项目于周六（10 月 31 日）回顾了往昔，回到了十年前的起点——淡滨尼——以纪念该项目成立 10 周年。

新加坡是世界上第一个在高层、高密度热带环境中部署沃尔巴克氏体技术来抑制埃及伊蚊数量的国家。

该项目于 2016 年在三个试点地区——布莱德尔高地、淡滨尼西和义顺东——启动，现在已覆盖全国超过 84 万户家庭，约占全国所有家庭的 53%。

国家环境局 (NEA) 在一份媒体情况说明书中解释该项目时表示，当携带沃尔巴克氏菌的雄性伊蚊与不携带沃尔巴克氏菌的城市雌性埃及伊蚊交配时，产生的卵不会孵化。

这反过来又使释放点的埃及伊蚊数量减少了高达 90%，这些地区的居民感染登革热的风险降低了 70% 以上。

雄性沃尔巴克氏体伊蚊不会叮咬人或传播疾病。

周六，在淡滨尼西举行的纪念活动上，永续发展及环境部高级政务部长贾尼尔·普图切里博士指出，登革热风险降低的结论已于今年早些时候发表在世界领先的医学期刊之一《新英格兰医学杂志》上。

更重要的是，他表示，部署地区居民登革热风险的降低是保护社区免受登革热侵害方面迈出的重要一步。

高级政务部长指出，淡滨尼的登革热病例也从 2020 年疫情爆发期间的近 1200 例下降到去年的仅 77 例。

“当然，登革热病例每年都会波动，但这令人鼓舞地表明，我们为保护社区所做的持续努力正在产生非常实际的影响，”他说道，并补充说，这项为期十年的项目吸引了本地和国际科学家及机构的合作，以进一步推进创新技术、流程和运营能力。

但他同时告诫说，沃尔巴克氏体项目并非万灵药，也不能取代社区和居民保持警惕的必要性，并补充说，登革热的预防是每个人的共同责任。

“我们必须继续尽自己的一份力量，保持我们的家园和社区没有蚊子滋生地，这样我们才能巩固已经取得的进展。”

与此同时，世界卫生组织正在审查有关沃尔巴克氏体疗法的科学证据，包括来自新加坡的经验教训，以便为各国制定未来的指导方针。

最初只是一个实验性研究项目，如今已发展成为一项重要的公共卫生干预措施，其益处远超我们国界，惠及更广泛的社区。