PUTRAJAYA, May 4 — Dengue cases in Putrajaya fell by 36.2 per cent from January to April 2026 compared with the same period last year, with the implementation of Wolbachia technology identified as a key factor in enabling faster and more effective control of the urban outbreak.

Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) president Datuk Mohd Sakeri Abdul Kadir said the decrease shows that conventional approaches alone are no longer sufficient to address dengue challenges in densely populated urban areas.

“Data in Putrajaya shows that innovations such as the Wolbachia technology can accelerate dengue control and protect communities more effectively.

“At the same time, this effort is part of an ongoing commitment to make Putrajaya a safer and more conducive city, especially to ensure children can play in residential areas without worrying about health risks,” he said in a statement today.

Sharing the latest data, Mohd Sakeri said as of April 2026, the implementation of Wolbachia technology in Putrajaya has been carried out in stages in high-risk localities, namely Precinct 14, where 588,800 adult mosquitoes have been released in several phases since 2020.

The programme, said Mohd Sakeri, is now in the maintenance phase, including additional releases.

“In Precinct 18, a total of 554,400 adult mosquitoes have been released since October 2025, with the area now in the ‘sustain phase’, indicating that the Wolbachia mosquito population is stabilising,” he said.

He added that the Federal Territories Department is evaluating the effectiveness of existing budget allocations, including community clean-up programmes, while considering expanding Wolbachia technology to People’s Housing Projects (PPR) and public housing areas, which recorded high dengue case rates. — Bernama