Fighting disease: How are genetically engineered mosquitoes regulated?
Fighting disease: How are genetically engineered mosquitoes regulated?
Tags: Aedes, Anopheles, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, MalariaA. Julie, Global News, 2021.
Mosquitoes have long been associated with the spread of diseases like malaria, dengue fever and the Zika virus. But scientists around the world have been exploring the possibility that mosquitoes could also be key to slowing the spread of disease. By genetically altering the DNA of mosquitoes, scientists hope to prevent them from passing on pathogens to humans and, therefore, control the spread of vector-borne diseases. To some, it is an exciting opportunity that could open up new possibilities in the fight against endemic diseases. But the practice has also raised questions from some in the scientific and environmental communities about the impact on local ecosystems, and the ripple effects such modifications could have on the mosquito populations themselves.
