Fighting Dengue With Mosquitoes Genetically modified organisms or GMOs are slowly becoming part of our everyday lives.

These GMOs are used in different fields like agriculture, medicine, and public health and the use of GMOs have resulted in improvements in these fields. An example of one such improvement is the use of genetically modified mosquitoes in fighting malaria, dengue fever, and other mosquito-borne diseases. This development will surely benefit tropical countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines. This could lead to lower cases of mosquito-borne disease and eventually, the elimination of these diseases. However, the use of genetically modified mosquitoes in fighting these diseases does have its problems. Further research should be undertaken to ensure that the use of these insects will not endanger humans and the environment. Genetically modified male mosquitoes with the Release of Insect Dominant Lethal (RIDL) genes have been released in field trials in the Cayman Islands and Malaysia and it is hoped that these mosquitoes will be able to reduce the population of disease-causing mosquitoes (Miller 586). The gene takes effect when the genetically modified male mosquitoes mate with the females in the wild, resulting in the larva being unable to develop to the adult stage, though there are cases that this does not happen (Miller 586). By stopping the larvas development before it hits the adult stage, the number of disease-carrying mosquitoes will go down, thus resulting in a decrease in cases of malaria, dengue, and other mosquito-borne illnesses. The RIDL gene replaces the Sterile Insect technique (SIT) which is more expensive because the SIT requires more mosquitoes for it to be effective, thus the RIDL gene is a more effective way of using genetically modified mosquitoes in fighting disease because mosquitoes with the RIDL gene will not cause a mosquito outbreak, unlike mosquitoes that undergo SIT (Miller 586). The use of genetically modified mosquitoes does come with its share of concerns and problems. A key concern in the development of the use of these GM mosquitoes is selecting the location of the trials needed to test the effectiveness of these organisms in fighting the disease (Lavery et. al.). The location of the experiment is important due to the need to collaborate with the locations residents and the need to verify any issues related to the experiment, if any should arise (Lavery et. al.). The safety of the human populace and the environment must likewise be insured by the researcher. There must be an assurance that the release of these mosquitoes would not cause an ecological imbalance that may result in the extinction of species that may feed on the mosquitoes. However, the location is not the only factor that should be considered in testing the effectiveness of genetically modified mosquitoes in combating diseases. The primary law on such experiments is the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-Safety, an agreement that is a part of the Convention on Biodiversity (Lavery et.al.). The protocol mostly deals with the ethical, political, and environmental effects of experiments using GMOs. According to John Marshall of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College in London, the Cartagena Protocol does not fully address the situation wherein the genetically modified mosquitoes propagate across different countries because the experiment will not continue if there is a big enough risk for these mosquitoes to spread to countries not included in the test if these mosquitoes are released in the environment (896). It is possible for these mosquitoes to reek havoc

on the countries not included in the experiment because there may not be a natural predator present in that country to control the population of the insects. If this happens, the country in question could have an infestation of the mosquitoes that could cause disease to skyrocket. Marshall, however, states that there is a possible solution to this problem, which is to come up with an agreement among countries that would recognize the possibility of these mosquitoes entering their borders, but differing attitudes toward GMOs and the uncertain degree of reproduction of the mosquitoes makes it hard for this agreement to be enacted (896). Another problem is the public perception of genetically modified mosquitoes and the publics possible lack of information about the topic. In Mali, where malaria is a big problem, most people surveyed there would only agree to the release of genetically modified mosquitoes to the environment if certain conditions were achieved, mostly focusing on the safety of the human population and the effectiveness of the mosquitoes in actually fighting malaria (Taylor 134-135). Thus, there is a need for the researchers to prove to the public that the release of genetically modified mosquitoes to the environment would have no ill effects on humans and their animals. The researchers also have to prove that there would be an actual decrease in malaria cases before people there would agree to a full-scale release of the insects. In short, the researchers have to prove that the use of genetically modified mosquitoes in fighting malaria and other diseases would be safe and effective. However, this need to prove the safety and effectiveness of the program leads to another problem. There is usually a reluctance to perform field tests on new discoveries like GMOs because there is a possible risk that the release of GMOs might cause damage to the ecological balance of the area that the GMOs will be released in. According to Thomas Miller of the Department of Entomology at the University of California, Riverside, new technologies are often blocked before field trials by the socalled precautionary principle (586). Without any field trials, it is much harder for researchers to know whether or not it is effective in its stated purpose. Without knowing the effectiveness of the genetically modified mosquitoes, the researchers cannot suggest the mosquitoes as a viable solution in fighting malaria and other similar diseases. This development in public health is much needed because malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases are very deadly diseases. In Paraguay, the prevalence of dengue fever among the populace caused the government there to declare a state of emergency (Miller 586). By releasing genetically modified mosquitoes to the environment, there is a good chance that the number of people contracting mosquitoborne disease will go down. This is important for the general well-being of people in countries where mosquito-borne diseases are a problem. By reducing the number of cases of these diseases, it would improve the efficiency of a nation because less people will be infected with these diseases. However, researchers need to ensure the safety of humans and the environment in releasing genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild. They must ensure that there would be no damage to the ecology of the locations where the researchers will release the mosquitoes in. The danger of possible ecological damage should be very low and that the researchers should not compromise the ecological balance of the experiments location for a successful reduction in the number of cases of mosquito-borne diseases.

The Philippine government should do research into the use of genetically modified mosquitoes in fighting dengue fever and other diseases caused by mosquito bites. It should be a priority for the government to do research on the possibility of using these insects in controlling the spread of dengue in the Philippines. With climate change causing more rains to occur, the government should see whether or not it is feasible to release genetically modified mosquitoes in the Philippines. The public should be educated not only about genetically modified mosquitoes, but also genetically modified organisms in general. If there is more public acceptance for the use of GMOs in everyday life, people are more likely to accept the use of GM mosquitoes in combating dengue. The use of genetically modified mosquitoes in fighting dengue and other similar diseases should be responsible much like the use of other GMOs in other parts of peoples lives. The safety of the people affected by the release of the mosquitoes should be the top priority of the researchers. They should not put into danger anyone who could be affected adversely by the release of the mosquitoes into the environment. At the same time, however, people should not try to block the trial release of these mosquitoes into the environment because they do not understand the concept of using these GM mosquitoes in fighting mosquito-borne disease. They should not let their lack of knowledge cloud their judgment about the release of the mosquitoes into the wild. According to Miller, One of the foundations of science is testing. The foundation of development is trial and error. GM mosquitoes must advance to field trials, if only as a tribute to the people who have already died from dengue and those who are going to die in the future (586). The use of genetically modified mosquitoes in fighting dengue and other similar disease shows much promise. There should be more research regarding the environmental impacts of the release of GM mosquitoes to see whether or not it is feasible to continue with such a study. If this technology is fully developed, then we can add malaria and dengue fever to the list of diseases that have been virtually wiped out.

Works Cited: Miller, Thomas A. "Let High-tech Genetically Modified Insects Counter Dengue." BioScience 61.8 (2011): 586-587. Academic Source Complete. EBSCO. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. Lavery, James V, Laura C Harrington, and Thomas W Scott. "Ethical, social, and cultural considerations for site selection for research with genetically modified mosquitoes." The American Journal Of Tropical Medicine And Hygiene 79.3 (2008): 312-318. MEDLINE with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. Taylor, Charles E., et al. "Perspectives of people in Mali toward genetically-modified mosquitoes for malaria control." Malaria Journal 9.(2010): 128-139. Academic Source Complete. EBSCO. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. Marshall, John M. "The Cartagena Protocol and genetically modified mosquitoes." Nature Biotechnology 28.9 (2010): 896-897. MEDLINE with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 28 Sept. 2011.