Why Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Won’t Come to Texas Anytime Soon
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C. Adams,
RA News,
2020.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus isn’t the only peril floating around in the environment. Four years ago, the Zika virus became an issue. More than 300 people were infected in Texas. Zika can cause birth defects and fetal neurodevelopmental abnormalities in pregnant women. The vector is Aedes (rhymes with ladies) aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The Aedes mosquitoes transmit Zika, chikungunya, dengue and yellow fever, which prompted state and county health officials to discuss actionable solutions to control the mosquito. Talks about releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in Houston began in 2018 between Harris County and Oxitec, a United Kingdom-based company that produces sustainable technologies or transgenic methodologies to stem the impact of disease-spreading insects. Talk also began about a similar action in Monroe County, Fla. However, ecological concerns have been raised about the use of these mosquitoes. “We had stakeholders there who wanted to use it,” said Kevin Gorman, head of field operations at Oxitec. “We had vector control authorities who were keen to try the technology.” The Environmental Protection Agency stated in a May 2020 press release that it approved an experimental use permit to Oxitec to field-test its genetically engineered mosquito in the United States. The genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are males that mate with wild female Aedes aegypti, essentially causing the offspring to die before they can reproduce due to a genetic variation. More related to this: Genetically modified mosquitoes to be released in Florida and Texas Swarms of genetically modified mosquitoes could soon be descending on Florida Before genetically modified mosquitoes are released, we need a better EPA Who is afraid of genetically modified mosquitoes?
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