Release Of GM Mosquitoes Worried Residents and Environmental Groups

Florida Keys, USA – Residents and environmental groups are worrying of the release of 750 million GM mosquitoes or genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida Keys by year 2021 and 2022 which have given permission and approval from local authorities in the region.

The GM mosquitoes are genetically modified to kill their own population particularly female one which are the ones that bites humans and carrying mosquito-diseases like dengue, zika virus, yellow fever, and chikungunya. The GM mosquitoes are male mosquitoes.

The plan is an alternative means to control mosquito population in the region and stop the deadly diseases that come from mosquito bites wherein insecticides fail to do and as well other means they try to control the situation and condition. The plan is headed by the company Oxitec wherein they developed a mosquito named OX513A that will kill the mosquito population in the region.

The mosquito OX513A according to Oxitec has been tested in Cayman Island, Brazil, and Panama and has been very successful by 95%; it is a large success according to the news.

“In 2012, the district reached out to Oxitec for help. The company had developed a male mosquito named OX513A, programmed to die before adulthood unless it was grown in water that contained the antibiotic tetracycline. Batches of the sterile OX513A would be allowed to live and mate with females; however, their male and female offspring would inherit the "kill" programming and die, thus limiting population growth.” (CNN)

According to the news the target mosquito is the Aedes Aegypti which said to be spreading the deadly mosquito-originated diseases.

But the environmental groups are worrying about the effects of the GM mosquitoes in the environment and ecosystem as well as angry residents of being use as testing thing or guinea pigs.

“However, environmental groups worry that the spread of the genetically modified male genes into the wild population could potentially harm threatened and endangered species of birds, insects and mammals that feed on the mosquitoes. "The release of genetically engineered mosquitoes will needlessly put Floridians, the environment and endangered species at risk in the midst of a pandemic," said Dana Perls, food and technology program manager at Friends of the Earth,….. “(CNN)

Aedes Aegypti Mosquito ( image from Wikipedia)