The expansion comes after NEA saw an 80 to 90 per cent drop in the Aedes aegypti mosquito population in its multi-site field study.
The two-year study, which started in Jul 2022, was designed to determine the impact of the Wolbachia technology on dengue cases and clusters on top of its effect on the aedes population. As part of the study, Wolbachia mosquitoes are being released at sites including Bedok, Choa Chu Kang and Punggol.
Initial results from the study indicate that residents living in these sites are about 75 per cent less likely to be infected with dengue, said NEA.
Speaking to reporters at a community event on Thursday, Sustainability and the Environment Minister Grace Fu said the average monthly number of dengue cases has reduced from 3,000 cases from 2022 – when Singapore experienced a dengue outbreak – to 1,300 this year.
“That is a very encouraging sign. So we want to continue and expand the Project Wolbachia but obviously, this is not a silver bullet. We still need residents to adopt good housekeeping practices to keep mosquito breeding to the minimum.”
She added that NEA still needs to complete the study and look at the cost benefit, the effectiveness and capacity of the project.
“We have to conclude the study so that we can compare the results. So it’s not just about number of (dengue) cases, because the number of cases is also dependent on issues such as (the) weather and … whether we have an outbreak,” she said.
“We want to do the study properly because obviously, (it) involves investments into the production capability.”
