Djibouti Deploys GMO Mosquitoes to Combat Malaria
Djibouti has launched an initiative using genetically engineered mosquitoes to combat a significant rise in malaria cases caused by the invasive Anopheles stephensi species. Developed by US biotechnology firm Oxitec and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the technology involves releasing male mosquitoes with a gene that prevents female offspring from surviving, thereby reducing the population of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes. This method has shown success in reducing other mosquito-borne diseases and is seen as a potential game changer in the fight against malaria in urban areas.
