Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
Panama to release genetically modified mosquitoes to combat dengue
Mon, 13th Jan 2014 15:05
Panama City (Alliance News) - Thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes are to be released in Panama in an attempt to stop the spread of the dengue virus, the Ministry of Health announced Monday.
Dengue, also called haemorrhagic fever, is one of the fastest-growing tropical diseases in the world and has been classified by the World Health Organization as representing a "pandemic threat," with nearly half of the world's population at risk of contraction.
While the virus has recently spread to locales as far-flung as Russia, Portugal and the US, sub-tropical regions like Panama are particularly prone to epidemics due to a climate that encourages mosquito reproduction. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the primary vector of the dengue virus.
The engineered mosquitoes approved for release carry genes that arrest the Aedes aegypti cycle of development by disrupting the male mosquitoes' reproductive capability.
Panamanian health officials hope that by releasing enough of the genetically modified male mosquitoes, whose offspring don't survive, the overall mosquito population will decline precipitously.
The mosquitoes will be released in three communities in the Arraijan district, 18 kilometers west of Panama City.
More: LSE
Brazil to breed GM mosquitoes to combat dengue
.
Mon, 13th Jan 2014 15:05
Panama City (Alliance News) - Thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes are to be released in Panama in an attempt to stop the spread of the dengue virus, the Ministry of Health announced Monday.
Dengue, also called haemorrhagic fever, is one of the fastest-growing tropical diseases in the world and has been classified by the World Health Organization as representing a "pandemic threat," with nearly half of the world's population at risk of contraction.
While the virus has recently spread to locales as far-flung as Russia, Portugal and the US, sub-tropical regions like Panama are particularly prone to epidemics due to a climate that encourages mosquito reproduction. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the primary vector of the dengue virus.
The engineered mosquitoes approved for release carry genes that arrest the Aedes aegypti cycle of development by disrupting the male mosquitoes' reproductive capability.
Panamanian health officials hope that by releasing enough of the genetically modified male mosquitoes, whose offspring don't survive, the overall mosquito population will decline precipitously.
The mosquitoes will be released in three communities in the Arraijan district, 18 kilometers west of Panama City.
More: LSE
Brazil to breed GM mosquitoes to combat dengue
.