Indonesia Ministry of Health and World Mosquito Program Partner to Accelerate Progress Towards Zero Dengue Deaths by 2030
Indonesia's Ministry of Health and the World Mosquito Program have formalised their collaboration on dengue prevention. Our work in the country began in Yogyakarta in 2016, where the city has since recorded the lowest dengue case numbers in its history.
Jakarta, 30 July 2026 – The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia and the World Mosquito Program (WMP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in supporting the implementation of Wolbachia technology as part of Indonesia's broader efforts to reduce the burden of dengue.
Indonesia continues to face one of the world's highest dengue burdens, ranking among the top two countries globally in terms of reported cases and deaths. In 2024 alone, Indonesia recorded more than 257,000 dengue cases and over 1,400 deaths, underscoring the urgent need to accelerate effective and sustainable prevention efforts.
Strengthening prevention methods
The collaboration reflects Indonesia's commitment to achieving Zero Dengue Deaths by 2030 through a comprehensive approach that combines stronger surveillance, early detection and clinical management, community engagement, vector control, and innovative, evidence-based technologies such as Wolbachia.
Through this partnership, the Ministry of Health and WMP will work together to support the effective and sustainable implementation of Wolbachia technology in Indonesia, building on the country's experience and growing evidence of its potential to reduce dengue transmission and protect communities.
Dr. Andi Saguni, M.A, Director General of Disease Control at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, said:
"Indonesia continues to face one of the highest dengue burdens in the world, and achieving zero dengue deaths by 2030 requires us to accelerate effective prevention and embrace proven innovations.
"Our collaboration with the World Mosquito Program (WMP) reflects our commitment to strengthening dengue prevention through Wolbachia technology as part of a comprehensive approach to protect communities and reduce the burden of dengue across Indonesia."
Worldwide impact of WMP's Wolbachia method
Wolbachia is a naturally occurring bacterium that reduces the ability of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to transmit dengue and other mosquito-borne viruses. Evidence from Indonesia, including the gold-standard randomised controlled trial (published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June 2021) in Yogyakarta, showed a 77% reduction in dengue cases and 86% reduction in dengue hospitalisations in Wolbachia-treated areas compared with untreated.
Yogyakarta made history in its fight against dengue in 2023, with a record of only 67 cases, down from more than 1,700 in 2016 - thanks to WMP's Wolbachia method, first implemented in the city that year. WMP has also continued collaborating with the MOH in recent years as a technical advisor on its five-city pilot, which has seen Wolbachia mosquito releases in Bandung, Semarang, Bontang, Kupang and West Jakarta.
Other countries have also seen a significant impact. In Niterói, Brazil, the city recorded an 89% drop in dengue cases, and during the country's 2024 outbreak, case rates remained far below state and national levels. City-wide Wolbachia deployments in Colombia between 2017 and 2024 in Bello, Medellín and Itagüí - protecting more than 3.5 million people - resulted in marked reductions in dengue incidence and sustained protection. These included dramatic drops of 91.9% in Bello and 92.1% in Itagüí.
To date, WMP has averted more than 1.54 million dengue cases and close to 93,000 hospitalisations worldwide, saving an estimated USD $455 million in healthcare and societal costs.
Professor Scott O'Neill, Director and CEO of the World Mosquito Program, said:
"Indonesia bears one of the world's highest dengue burdens, but it has also been at the forefront of demonstrating the potential of the World Mosquito Program's Wolbachia technology to protect communities.
"We are proud to strengthen our collaboration with the Ministry of Health and support Indonesia's ambition to achieve zero dengue deaths by 2030. This MoU marks an important step in our shared commitment to sustainable, evidence-based dengue prevention."
The MoU reinforces the shared commitment of the Ministry of Health and WMP to advance innovative, evidence-based, and sustainable approaches to dengue prevention, contributing to Indonesia's efforts to reduce the burden of dengue and protect communities across the country.
Notes to editors
About the World Mosquito Program
The World Mosquito Program (WMP) is a not-for-profit group of companies wholly owned by Monash University, Australia, that works to protect the global community from mosquito-borne viral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever. After significantly reducing transmission of these viruses in Australia, WMP has expanded to now be working in 16 countries, protecting more than 16 million people across Asia, Oceania and the Americas.
About WMP's Wolbachia method
Wolbachia – a common bacterium found in about 50 per cent of insects – is introduced in the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever. The Wolbachia bacterium prevents the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes from transmitting these diseases.
The Wolbachia mosquitoes are then released in areas where mosquito-borne viruses are endemic. As they breed with wild mosquitoes, the number of Wolbachia mosquitoes grows over time until it remains high without the need for further releases.
Unlike other measures against mosquito-borne diseases, the Wolbachia method is safe for people, mosquitoes and the environment, and offers a long-term and self-sustaining solution to control the spread and impacts of dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever.
Media contact
Alex Jackson
WMP Global Editorial and Media Relations Manager
alex.jackson@worldmosquito.org
