Zika outbreak in the Miami area calls an immediate response, that’s why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approved the investigational experiment of Oxitec lab with the releasing of genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes in the Florida. It should help combat the virus in Keys.
The FDA concluded that there’s no time to looking for another way to prevent and weak the outbreak of Zika virus in the U.S. Last week the Agency approved the Oxitec’s field trial with the releasing in a wild environment the GM mosquitoes from the lab. According to the Oxitec, such a release “will not have significant impacts on the environment” in Florida.
The FDA agreed that GM mosquitoes will not influence on the food chain. The purpose of the experiment should be useful for better understanding of the efficacy of Oxitec’s GM mosquitoes. It could help to control the population of these dangerous insects in Miami, Aedes aegypti are transmitting Zika virus.
Pending approval by the FDA, Oxitec will release its lab insects. The insects carry a gene that’s fatal to offspring, meaning the local population will dwindle over time at the release site. According to Hadyn Parry from Oxitec:
“We’ve been developing this approach for many years, and from these results we are convinced that our solution is both highly effective and has sound environmental credentials.”
In fact, some public health advocates have pointed out that the long-term environmental effects of GMO mosquitoes are unknown.
