Dengue Cases in Jakarta's Kembangan Drop 60% After Wolbachia Trial

Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DBD) cases in Kembangan District, West Jakarta, dropped by up to 60 per cent during January to May 2026 compared to the same period the previous year. The district was the first location to trial the release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying the Wolbachia bacteria to combat mosquitoes that transmit the dengue virus.

West Jakarta Health Sub-department Head Sahruna detailed that 89 DBD cases were recorded in Kembangan District from January to May 2026. That figure, Sahruna said, fell sharply compared to 227 cases in 2025. During the same period in 2024, there were 377 cases.

“Besides the massive mosquito nest eradication efforts (PSN) that have been carried out, the application of the Wolbachia method is an important factor in the decline of dengue cases in Kembangan,” Sahruna stated on Tuesday (9/6), as quoted from the DKI Provincial Government website, beritajakarta.go.id.

The DKI Provincial Government first launched the dengue control programme using Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes in the RW 07 area of North Kembangan in October 2024. Kembangan District was chosen as the initial release site because it had the highest number of dengue cases in 2023, with an Incidence Rate (IR) of 54.1 per 100,000 population.

Besides North Kembangan, the Wolbachia programme was also trialled in South Kembangan, North Meruya, South Meruya, Joglo, and Srengseng. As a result, the decline in cases during the January to May 2026 period has impacted the IR assessment for Kembangan District, which has now fallen to seventh place across West Jakarta.

“As of 7 June, there were only three new cases. Meanwhile, dengue case data for June 2025 totalled 49 cases,” Sahruna added.