First Evidence That GM Mosquitoes Reduce Disease, Oxitec Reveals
Releasing genetically modified mosquitoes appears to have helped reduce cases of dengue in a town in Brazil. The news comes as the US is considering whether to approve the use of the same mosquitoes.
The trial involved Aedes mosquitoes that had been modified to kill off wild mosquitoes of the same species, and was carried out in the town of Piracicaba. Just by eliminating the standing water where the mosquitoes that carry dengue and other diseases like Zika breed, Piracicaba was able to halve the number of dengue cases during the 2015-16 dengue season, compared with last year.
The trial involved Aedes mosquitoes that had been modified to kill off wild mosquitoes of the same species, and was carried out in the town of Piracicaba. Just by eliminating the standing water where the mosquitoes that carry dengue and other diseases like Zika breed, Piracicaba was able to halve the number of dengue cases during the 2015-16 dengue season, compared with last year.