‘Gene Drive’ to curb malaria raises ethical questions as well

A new technology ‘Gene Drive’ for mosquito control is currently confined to the laboratory since it raises an ethical question, if such a technology could in future be misused to the detriment of humanity.

Malaria control: Ronald Ross (1987) discovered malarial parasites in the stomach of Anopheles mosquitoes and proved that bite of female mosquitoes, transfer these parasites to humans and cause malaria. According to Cumbers (2019) half a million lives are lost annually by malaria. Other mosquitoes causing diseases are dengue, Zika, Chikungunya and yellow fever, each taking their toll of human lives and their livelihoods.