Split opinion about the use of GM mosquitoes to curb Zika
According to the findings published in PLOS Current Outbreaks, people’s attitude toward the release of genetically modified mosquitoes, to reduce the threat of mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika is not supportive.
The officials believe that introduction of male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which are bred to mate with wild females and produce offspring with a defective gene that kills them, will reduce the population of disease-carrying mosquitoes. The novel mosquito control method has been tried in Brazil and Panama with some success, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering a trial in Key Haven, a community in the Florida Keys.
Aedes aegypti carry all three diseases, though no local mosquito-borne cases of Zika virus have been reported in the United States. Zika has been linked to brain-related birth defects in babies born to pregnant mothers who contract the virus.
The researchers say that people who do not feel that they are at risk from mosquito-borne diseases or who don’t believe that mosquitoes are a nuisance express greater discomfort with this idea.
The scientists, current students and recent graduates of the Bloomberg School, say the research could help public health and
community leaders address head-on the objections of residents where such control measures are being contemplated, as the fight against mosquito-borne illnesses heats up. The survey was conducted in the second half of 2015, after locally transmitted dengue and chikungunya cases had been discovered in Florida, but before the Zika epidemic in South and Central America became big news. There is concern that Zika could spread north into the continental U.S. The band from southern Florida, including the Keys, to southern Texas, as well as Hawaii, are believed to be part of the region of the U.S. most at risk.Concerned about unanticipated consequences of introducing these lab-grown insects into the wild, some local residents have tried to kill the field trial of the genetically modified mosquitoes.
“People will have objections and it is critical for them to be heard. Our research provides a starting point to understand how the community feels and to begin a dialogue about how to address mosquito-borne diseases.” says Meghan McGinty, MPH, MBA, a recent PhD recipient from the Bloomberg School and one of the researchers.
For the study, the researchers mailed a survey in July 2015 to all 456 households in the Key Haven community outside Key West; they received 89 responses. Residents were evenly split over whether they consider mosquitoes a nuisance, but two-thirds agreed there was a need to reduce the mosquito population. Women were more opposed to the genetically modified mosquitoes than men.
The most popular mosquito control method was draining standing water to reduce breeding, followed by treating standing water with larvicides designed to kill new mosquitoes before they hatch and spraying insecticides. The least popular was using genetically modified mosquitoes to reduce the population.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they either “oppose” or “strongly oppose” the use of genetically modified mosquitoes to combat the risk of disease. The most common objection was a concern over disturbing the local ecosystem by eliminating mosquitoes from the food chain. Respondents were also concerned that using genetically modified mosquitoes could lead to an increase in the use of other genetically modified products.
Since the survey was conducted before the extent of the Zika epidemic was widely known, respondents were only asked about their concerns about dengue and chikungunya (the area was hit by a dengue outbreak several years ago). Sixty-three percent said they were “a little worried” or “very worried” about becoming sick from one of those mosquito-borne illnesses, and most said they or someone they knew would contract one of the diseases.
The researchers recognize that their sample size is small and that with the rising threat of Zika, opinions may have changed about the use of these genetically modified mosquitoes.
Still, Boddie says, “the survey provides a baseline of information about residents’ attitudes and concerns and can help health officials better educate the public about the risks and benefits of these genetically modified mosquitoes. Then we need to have an honest conversation about where this control method does or does not fit in.”
