Non-GMO approach reduces cases of mosquito-borne dengue by 77%
Non-GMO approach reduces cases of mosquito-borne dengue by 77%
Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Gene drive synthetic, Genetic biocontrol, Genetic incompatibilities, WolbachiaGM Watch, GM Watch, 2020.
While uncertain and risky GMO approaches to mosquito-borne diseases continue to raise concerns in the countries targeted for experimentation, like Brazil, Burkina Faso, and most recently the United States, two remarkable breakthroughs have recently been made involving highly effective natural means of preventing the transmission of such diseases.
In the most recent instance, a randomized field trial found that mosquitoes infected with a natural bacterium called Wolbachia reduced cases of dengue by an “extraordinary” 77%. Wolbachia stops the insects from transmitting some viruses when they bite people.
An article in the journal Nature says that epidemiologists typically speak in carefully qualified and caveated language, but not in this case. The newly released results from the trial of this biological technology – that aims to stop the spread of mosquito-borne diseases by using a naturally occurring bacteria – have them using terms such as “staggering” and “epochal”.
