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According to CBS News, mosquitoes caught by experts in Sarasota County, Florida, tested positive for malaria. Cases of the disease have recently been detected in Florida and Texas, both of which have authorised the release of genetically modified mosquitos.
Over the last two months, four locally acquired cases of malaria have been reported in Florida, with one reported in Texas. These five cases were the first five reported cases of the mosquito-borne sickness in the United States since 2003.
Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services told CBS News that it discovered malaria in three mosquitos gathered from the same woodlot. These insects, along with hundreds more suspected of harbouring the malaria parasite, have been sent to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing.
According to a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, all mosquitoes tested in Texas so far have shown no symptoms of carrying malaria.
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According to World Health Organisation data, over 619,000 people died from malaria in 2021. sick female anopheles mosquitos spread the disease by transferring blood from sick humans to future victims. Malaria causes fever, vomiting, chills, and other flu-like symptoms and might take weeks to manifest. Malaria in the industrialised world is curable and rarely lethal.
The US Environmental Protection Agency authorised the introduction of genetically engineered mosquitoes in both states three years before the outbreaks in Florida and Texas, before expanding the project to California last year. The mosquitos were created by Oxitec, a British biotech corporation that receives financing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They carry a protein that causes their female offspring to die, increasing the number of non-biting males in the insect population over time.
Oxitec has conducted tests on anopheles mosquitos as well as the more rare Aedes aegypti variety, which carries Zika, dengue, and yellow fever. Although there is currently no proof linking the business to the most recent outbreaks, a 2019 study discovered that Oxitec’s alterations actually generated stronger and more resilient mosquitoes. This finding is being challenged by the firm.