Malaria control

“Self-destructing” mosquitoes to stop malaria outbreaks

The government of Djibouti has begun a collaboration with the British biotechnology company Oxitec in the fight against malaria, writes The Guardian.

In laboratories, mosquitoes are modified with a special gene that causes the females to die while the males – who do not bite humans and therefore do not spread the disease – live on.

The “self-destructing” mosquitoes are released into the wild with the aim of reducing the proportion of females.

“They will play a key role and change the playing field,” says Lottie Renwick of the non-profit organization Malaria No More.

Malaria was almost completely eradicated in the African country, but between 2012 and 2020, the number of cases increased from just 27 to 73,000. The cause was a mosquito species from Southeast Asia that reached the country.

“Now is the time to need groundbreaking tools more than ever”

There are no easy solutions in the fight against malaria. This is what Grey Frandsen, CEO of the biotechnology company Oxitec, which is genetically modifying mosquitoes with the aim of combating the outbreak in Djibouti, told The Guardian.

The White House’s shutdown of the aid agency USAID is changing humanitarian work globally, but the CEO also sees it as an opportunity for technology “to shine.”

– Now is the time to need groundbreaking tools more than ever. New technologies must play a more important role than ever.

The company’s mosquitoes are modified with a gene that causes the females to die while the males live on. The males do not spread malaria and the goal is to reduce the proportion of females in the wild.