Genetically Modified Mosquitoes May Be Released in Fla and Calif

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes May Be Released in Fla and Calif

Tags: Aedes, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Regulation, Sterile insect technique (SIT)
R. Ellis,  WebMD,  2022. Article

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the release of 2 billion genetically altered mosquitoes in Florida and California, the company that created the genetically modified mosquitoes said. The experimental program created by Oxitec is designed to reduce the transmission of harmful diseases such as dengue, Zika, and yellow fever. The program is an extension of one in which millions of mosquitoes were released last year in the Florida Keys, USA Today reported. State agencies in Florida and California will have to approve the programs before the releases occur. The aim of the program is to reduce cases of diseases like yellow fever by killing off the offspring of a common kind of mosquito, Aedes aegypti, which spreads diseases through its bite.

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