Morning Shot: A buzzing solution - How effective is Project Wolbachia amid climatic changes?

By 2026, Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes released by the National Environment Agency (NEA) will be buzzing through 50 per cent of all households across the island. That’s part of NEA’s efforts to expand Project Wolbachia, to provide coverage to areas at risk of large dengue outbreaks. Under the project, which was first introduced in 2016, male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry the Wolbachia bacteria are released to mate with the female Aedes mosquitoes. The eggs that are produced do not hatch. On this episode of Morning Shot, Ng Lee Ching, Group Director of the Environmental Health Institute, NEA shares her insights on how effective the project has been so far, how recent weather changes might affect mosquito breeding cycles, and what the public should look out for. Presented by: Audrey Siek & Emaad AkhtarProduced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])Photo credits: Gin TaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.