BAGUIO CITY — Baguio City is being considered as a potential pilot site for Wolbachia bacteria technology, a method aimed at reducing the ability of mosquitoes to transmit dengue.

Baguio City Health Services Office chief epidemiologist Dr. Donabel Tubera Panes said two companies involved in the technology have expressed interest in using the city as a model site ahead of a potential nationwide rollout.

Wolbachia is a naturally occurring bacterium that, when introduced into Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, can reduce their ability to transmit viruses such as dengue.

Panes cited the technology's deployment in Australia, where dengue cases reportedly dropped by 77 percent and hospitalizations decreased by 86 percent.

The potential pilot comes as Baguio continues to record hundreds of dengue infections.

Local health data showed the city has recorded 543 dengue cases since January.

Across the Cordillera Administrative Region, the Department of Health-Cordillera recorded 4,436 dengue cases from 4 January to 8 August 2026, with surges reported in Abra, Benguet, Kalinga and Ifugao.