Dengue fever, Zika and Chikungunya cases are expected to decrease when the World Mosquito Program releases Wolbachia mosquitoes next Monday.

World Mosquito Program Project Coordinator Aminiasi Tavui says they have been working on this initiative for the past 7 months and the mosquitoes are ready to be released.

“It’s not here to feed on other mosquitoes or to reduce other mosquitoes. Basically it’s our own mosquitoes coming back to Fiji to survive here but the good thing is they have the good bacteria now. Overtime this species of Aedes aegypti will all be with good bacteria overtime, after they will be multiplying. So overtime our Aedes aegypti, those that are not with good bacteria, they will all be with good bacteria."

Tavui says mosquitoes with wolbachia will not be able to infect a healthy person if it has bitten someone with either dengue, zika or chikungunya.

He says that they will start releasing these mosquitoes in the Nausori, Suva and Lami corridor as they have been identified as hot spots.

Tavui adds they will be releasing wolbachia mosquitoes every week beginning next week.

The wolbachia mosquitoes will be released next Monday and the project will move to the West next year.