The whole world is troubled by mosquitoes. Whatever the weather, if you are standing in the park or on the roof in the evening, they surround you. Their bites not only cause stinging or itching, but also spread many serious diseases. Now the question arises that if there is so much problem with mosquitoes, then why is a country preparing them in the lab and releasing them outside.
Which country is that?
Actually, we are talking about the African country Djibouti. According to the BBC report, lakhs of mosquitoes have been prepared in the lab in Djibouti and released outside. However, this is not the first time this has been done. This was done before.
Why is this being done?
The mosquitoes which are being prepared in the lab and released outside are genetically modified and after going outside, they work to stop a species of mosquitoes that spread malaria. The special thing about the Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes released outside is that they do not bite. Scientists believe that this is a good way to deal with malaria mosquitoes. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that this technique has been tried earlier in Brazil, Cayman Islands, Panama and India and it was quite successful.
Billions of lab-grown mosquitoes roaming outside
The US CDC says about these mosquitoes that after the year 2019, more than one billion such mosquitoes are roaming in the open all over the world which have been prepared in the lab. The Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes released in Djibouti have been developed by Britain’s biotechnology company Oxitec. Now you must be wondering what is the work of these mosquitoes and how do they accomplish their mission. Actually, these mosquitoes have a gene, which kills female mosquitoes before they become adults.
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