The Si Wolly Nyaman Program, a program to control Dengue Fever (DHF) by applying Wolbachia-infused mosquito technology, was re-opened on August 9, 2021. This program was implemented by the Sleman Regency Government in collaboration with World Mosquito Program (WMP) Yogyakarta, UGM, and the Tahija Foundation.
The Si Wolly Nyaman program was temporarily postponed throughout July 2021 to support the implementation of Emergency PPKM in Sleman. Based on the pandemic situation and the PPKM level 4 policy, and after going through a series of coordination and evaluation meetings, the Sleman District Health Office and WMP Yogyakarta agreed to restart the care of Wolbachia-infused mosquito eggs in stages with strict health protocols.
Task Executor Head of the Sleman Health Office, Cahya Purnama, said that Si Wolly Nyaman’s operational activities will begin with coordination and communication with related parties on 2 August. It will continue with bucket care at foster parents’ homes and public facilities on 9 August gradually in each zone.
The Executive Manager of WMP Yogyakarta, M. Ridwan Ansari, explained that due to the temporary delay in replacing Wolbachia-infected mosquito eggs for approximately one month during July 2021, it is possible that the percentage of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in the area is still low.
“The mosquito egg care at foster parents’ homes and public facilities, which started on 9 August, was the first release. So the bucket care will take place from August 2021 to January 2022,” he explained on Wednesday (18/8).
Cahya added that the procedure for implementing the Si Wolly Nyaman program would still be carried out in accordance with the health protocol for preventing the transmission of Covid-19. First, WMP Yogyakarta cadres and staff still adhere to the health protocols, including wearing masks, washing hands with soap and running water, maintaining distance, staying away from crowds, and limiting mobilization and interaction when doing bucket care.
Second, they try to minimize the number of people and the duration of time, especially during the briefing process for the preparation of bucket storage. Third, the process of keeping the bucket and replacing eggs is done without contact with the foster parents, so that they can communicate with each other via WhatsApp or SMS before storing the eggs.
Fourth, foster parents, cadres, and WMP Yogyakarta staff who are in close contact or have been exposed to Covid-19 are requested to inform openly to prevent local transmission. Fifth, providing food or drink on-site to WMP cadres/staff on duty is not allowed.
“Because the percentage of Wolbachia is still low, it does not completely protect the community from dengue infection. Sleman residents need to be more alert to dengue by carrying out Mosquito Nest Eradication (PSN) including 4M Plus and practicing a Clean and Healthy Lifestyle (PHBS),” explained Cahya.
