Mosquitoes have always been a huge problem for Florida residents. They are even more
problematic in the Florida Key Region. It has even a dedicated mosquito department that is
assigned with the task of controlling over 40 species of mosquitoes. But as technology
progresses, we get new and newer methods to fight our problems. Gone are the days of
pesticides.
Now, a very new advanced biotechnology will be applied to tackle the mosquitoes in
Florida who spread dangerous diseases malaria and Zika. Oxitec is a British biotechnology company. It has targeted the US as its test site for one of its biggest projects. It has created over 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes that contain a certain Protein. When they come into contact with female mosquitoes, they will simply die.
We all know that male mosquitoes do not bite people, only female mosquitoes do. So, this
experiment is no danger to public health. The project is finally on its verge after received approval from the authorities. However, not all people are in the support of the project, especially the environmental protection groups. They even organized a rally to protest against the decision.
They say that the decision is immature and there has been no proper analytics of what effect it will have on the environment. One person said that “People here in Florida do not consent to the genetically engineered mosquitoes or to being human experiments.”
If this trial becomes successful in Florida, the same is expected to be executed in Texas too. For any latest updates, stay tuned with us.
