Florida Environmental Group Says GMO Mosquitoes Fall Short on Scientific Rigor

Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, Genetically modified mosquitoes, North America, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)
C. Drukier, NTD, 2021.

America’s first genetically modified mosquitoes are now buzzing around six locations in the Florida Keys as part of a pilot project. Developed by UK biotech company Oxitec, the bugs are designed to kill off the wild population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry diseases like Dengue fever, yellow fever, and the Zika virus. Some people who live in the Keys aren’t happy about being part of a science experiment. Barry Wray, executive director of the Florida Keys Environmental Coalition explains why his organization has been fighting the GMO bugs for the last decade.