The Ministry of Health has denied that Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes have been released in Negeri Sembilan, as claimed in a video that has gone viral on social media.
The statement was also issued to refute the claim that Aedes mosquitoes only feed on blood in order to survive. Wolbachia-infected Aedes mosquitoes are not genetically modified and have no adverse effects on mosquitoes or the environment, she added. “This method has also been implemented in several countries such as Australia, Indonesia and Brazil, resulting in a decrease of between 70 and 76 per cent of cases in localities where Wolbachia-infected Aedes mosquitoes were released. In Malaysia, this operation has so far been carried out in seven states, involving 28 localities,” she said.