In Yogyakarta and across neighbouring Sleman and Bantul districts, the project was funded by Yayasan Tahija (Tahija Foundation), and implemented in partnership with Universitas Gadjah Mada. After two years of community engagement, we released Wolbachia mosquitoes in Yogyakarta in 2014. The first randomised controlled trial of the Wolbachia method was conducted over 3 years and completed in 2020. Results showed a 77% reduction in dengue incidence in areas treated with Wolbachia when compared with untreated areas.

In 2023, the World Mosquito Program began its work in Denpasar and Buleleng, Bali. The World Mosquito Program with the support of the Australian Government and the Gillespie Family Foundation, joined forces to “dengue-proof” Bali by using the Wolbachia technology.

A cluster randomised controlled trial is considered a gold-standard method for evaluating the efficacy of health interventions delivered at the community level. It involves the comparison of disease outcomes amongst individuals living in areas with versus without an intervention. The result represents an unbiased estimate of the effect of the intervention on the disease of interest.