What the 3M Plus Movement Is
The 3M Plus movement is the Mosquito Nest Eradication (PSN) program launched by the Health Ministry as the main effort to prevent dengue hemorrhagic fever. The three Ms are: draining water storage such as bathtubs and tanks at least once a week, tightly covering water containers, and recycling or burying used goods that could become mosquito breeding sites.
The Plus refers to extra steps against mosquito bites and breeding. Because Aedes aegypti lays eggs in clean stagnant water, cutting off breeding sites through routine PSN is the most effective and safest approach — far more powerful than relying on fogging alone.
Details of the Plus Steps
The Plus steps include sprinkling larvicide or abate powder in water containers that are hard to drain, keeping larvae-eating fish such as betta fish, and fitting wire mesh on home windows and vents. Also use mosquito repellent lotion or bed nets while sleeping, and plant mosquito-repelling plants like lavender, lemongrass, and geranium around the house.
Do not forget to clean gutters and drains clogged with leaves, dry up puddles in the yard, change flower vase water weekly, avoid hanging worn clothes carelessly, and regularly join community clean-ups with neighbors.
One Home, One Jumantik
To strengthen the movement, the Jakarta Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) together with the Jakarta Health Office launched the One Home, One Jumantik campaign in September 2026. Every family is encouraged to appoint one person as a larvae-monitoring officer who routinely checks mosquito breeding sites at home, at least once a week.
The concept is simple: dengue prevention starts with the closest environment — the home. Every larvae-free home is a fortress. As an added innovation, Yogyakarta is deploying Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes, which monitoring shows have reached about 87 percent of the population, to help suppress DHF transmission.
Fogging Is Not the Sole Solution
Note that fogging only kills adult mosquitoes, not larvae in stagnant water. That is why fogging is prioritized in areas where DHF cases are found, such as the simultaneous fogging across 20 subdistricts carried out by the Central Tapanuli Health Office in early October 2026 as the rainy season began.
The Central Tapanuli health chief stressed that fogging is not the only effort; active community participation through 3M Plus PSN remains essential. The South Jakarta Health Sub-Department, handling 1,314 DHF cases, said the same: the most effective and safest step remains the 3M Plus PSN movement plus a stronger independent Jumantik program. Let us apply 3M Plus at home starting this week.
