MELAKA: The state government has released 16,000 sterile “bachelor” mosquitoes with the aim of wiping out the population of the Aedes aegypti species here.

State Health and Anti-Drug committee chairman Low Chee Leong said Melaka was the first state to introduce sterile insect technique (SIT) to suppress mosquito populations.

“Sterile males were released at the Kota Laksamana Apartment area in the first phase, and a total 65,000 male mosquitoes would be gradually freed in stages to mate with wild females in an effort to reduce the population,” he said after attending the 60th Ng Yap Wui Kun Association Installation Dinner at a restaurant here on Friday (July 26).

During the event, association president Mak Chee Kin was re-elected to helm the non-governmental organisation that was established in 1898.

Low said SIT was an environment-friendly insect pest control method, and Melaka woud be made the benchmark to gauge the success of anti-mosquito efforts by the Health Ministry.

He said the state was a hotspot for dengue outbreaks and the only hope was that these sexually active sterilised mosquitoes would stem the tide.

“Aedes mosquitoes are smart insects and a resilient species, and we hope SIT can help us to eradicate the dengue menace,” he added.