CEBU City is set to adopt the Wolbachia method to control dengue-carrying mosquitoes, following a resolution sponsored by City Councilor Michelle Abella-Cellona.
The initiative comes after a 130 percent surge in dengue cases from January to April 2025 compared to the previous year.
The method, supported by the World Mosquito Program (WMP), involves introducing Wolbachia bacteria into Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, reducing their ability to transmit dengue.
The Wolbachia method, according to the WMP, offers a natural and self-sustaining way to control dengue. As the bacteria
spreads through mosquito populations, infected males that mate with uninfected females produce no offspring.
Meanwhile, infected females will always produce Wolbachia-carrying offspring, ensuring the bacteria’s presence in future generations.
These mosquitoes, when carrying Wolbachia, are less able to transmit dengue and other viruses to humans.
The WMP said there was no evidence that Wolbachia causes harm to humans or other animals.
Technical Working Group
A Technical Working Group (TWG) will be formed to pilot the method after Cellona’s resolution was passed during the Cebu City Council’s regular session on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
The resolution urged Mayor Nestor Archival to create the TWG through an executive order to pilot the implementation of Wolbachia method.
The TWG will include representatives from the Office of the Mayor, the City Council Committee on Health, the Department of Health, the Cebu City Health Department, and the WMP.
Once formed, the TWG will develop a comprehensive implementation plan within 60 days.
The WMP is a non-profit organization which has expressed interest in piloting the Wolbachia method in Cebu City. It has successfully deployed the Wolbachia method in other countries with high dengue prevalence, demonstrating its effectiveness.
Cellona said the WMP’s methodologies align with existing local and national dengue programs and campaigns.
SunStar Cebu previously reported that from January to September 16, 2024, the Cebu City Health Department logged 764 cases of dengue.
“The City Health Office has expressed its willingness to support the implementation of the Wolbachia method of the World Mosquito Program,” said Cellona.
In December 2020, the World Health Organization Vector Control Advisory Group recognized the public health value of this method.
This 2025, the DOH expressed willingness to adopt the Wolbachia method, citing ongoing studies of the method in Jakarta, Indonesia, to control mosquito breeding.
This will be part of the agency’s campaign against the rising dengue cases in the country, as it aims for zero dengue-related deaths by 2030.
In Central Visayas, DOH-7 has recorded a five percent increase in dengue cases compared to the same period last year, with 5,880 cases with 10 deaths reported from January to June 14, 2025. However, DOH-7 experts clarified that this year’s tally is five percent lower than three years ago.
The Province of Cebu logged the highest number of dengue cases at 2,936, followed by Bohol with 1,275, Cebu City with 999, Lapu-Lapu City with 378, and Mandaue City with 289. / EHP