"Can't convince people to get vaccinated 100%... Then release Wolbachia mosquitoes to spread the latest virus," reads a post shared here on Facebook on June 18, 2023.
"Take care, guys, there is nobody willing to help Malaysia... Bill Gates again... the KKM will just follow," it says in Malay, referring to the country's Ministry of Health.
The post contains a screenshot of a genuine Facebook entry from May 30, 2023 by Malaysian newspaper Sinar Harian that says Wolbachia mosquitoes will be released in 27 areas across the nation (archived link).
Screenshot of the false post, taken on September 21, 2023
The Wolbachia project was launched in 2017 by Malaysia's Institute for Medical Research and aims to prevent the spread of the dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses (archived links here and here).
It involves releasing mosquitoes into the wild that carry naturally occurring bacteria preventing the insects from transmitting the illnesses.
Wolbachia is a common type of bacteria found in a variety of insects and has no potential to make humans or...
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