No hope for GM mosquito
Nov 29, 2004
UGANDA has lost hope of using a genetically modified (GM) mosquito in the fight against malaria, Tom Byembabazi, a vector control officer with the Ministry of Health has said.
By Kikonyogo Ngatya
UGANDA has lost hope of using a genetically modified (GM) mosquito in the fight against malaria, Tom Byembabazi, a vector control officer with the Ministry of Health has said.
He said it is ‘practically impossible’ to use a GM mosquito because the malaria-causing mosquitoes are spread throughout the country.
“Such an option would be feasible in a country where mosquitoes are not all over the place,†he said.
Byembabazi said researchers at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) have been working on the project together with their international counterparts.
“There is no immediate hope to use the GM mosquito. Maybe in the future. We do not know when,†he said. Using GM mosquitoes is one of the ways being advanced against fighting malaria.
The GM mosquitoes, which are unable to transmit malaria, are released into the wild to outcompete the natural ones.
UGANDA has lost hope of using a genetically modified (GM) mosquito in the fight against malaria, Tom Byembabazi, a vector control officer with the Ministry of Health has said.
He said it is ‘practically impossible’ to use a GM mosquito because the malaria-causing mosquitoes are spread throughout the country.
“Such an option would be feasible in a country where mosquitoes are not all over the place,†he said.
Byembabazi said researchers at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) have been working on the project together with their international counterparts.
“There is no immediate hope to use the GM mosquito. Maybe in the future. We do not know when,†he said. Using GM mosquitoes is one of the ways being advanced against fighting malaria.
The GM mosquitoes, which are unable to transmit malaria, are released into the wild to outcompete the natural ones.