Malaria: Over 75 CSOs raise alarm over plans to release nautically engineered mosquitoes
Malaria: Over 75 CSOs raise alarm over plans to release nautically engineered mosquitoes
Tags: Africa, Gene drive synthetic, Genetically modified mosquitoes, Genetically modified organisms, Policy, Regulation, Risk and safetyNews Agency of Nigeria, WorldStage, 2020.
More than 75 Environmental Civil Society Organisations from Nigeria, Africa and other countries have condemned moves to open way for release of genetically modified mosquitoes to control malaria infection.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that at a virtual meeting of the West African Integrated Vector Management Programme, on June 6, Mr Rufus Ebegba, Vice Chairman of the Programme said: “There is the need to accelerate the development of regulatory pathways for genetically based vector control methods such as transgenic mosquitoes.”
The groups in a statement, issued on Monday in Yenagoa, warned “against the safety of introduction of the transgenic mosquitoes and other risky, unproven technologies in Nigeria”.
The statement was signed by Mr Nnimmo Bassey Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), who spoke on behalf of the groups.
They said such technologies might pose serious risks to humans, biodiversity and to ecosystem balance.