The Effectiveness of Wolbachia Deployment as a Dengue Control Method: A Systematic Review

As a neglected tropical disease, dengue significantly impacts global health. World Health Organization data shows that approximately 390 million people are infected with the dengue virus each year, with 96 million cases manifesting clinically. Various innovations have been pursued to control dengue virus infections, one of which is the use of Wolbachia, a bacterium with high potential to address this issue. Wolbachia can reduce and even halt dengue virus transmission by mosquitoes by inhibiting the virus's development and replication within the Aedes aegypti mosquito. This study explores the effectiveness of Wolbachia in reducing dengue incidence across different regions. The method used in this study follows the PRISMA guidelines. Data sources include PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane, yielding 585 studies screened and narrowed down to four studies meeting inclusion criteria: one study in Malaysia, one in Brazil, and two in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Each study’s risk of bias was assessed using RoB2 and ROBINS-I according to its methodology. Success rates were evaluated based on the prevalence of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes and the reduction in dengue incidence over a defined period. The results show that Wolbachia prevalence can reach 100%, with the highest reduction in dengue incidence reaching up to 77%. This outcome indicates that Wolbachia is an effective tool for controlling dengue.