Despite local opposition in Florida, the FDA has agreed with an environmental assessment submitted by Oxitec3 and stated that GE mosquitoes will not have a significant impact on the environment, bringing Frankinbugs one step closer to being released in Florida.
The mosquitoes have been genetically engineered with protein fragments from the herpes virus, E. coli bacteria, coral and cabbage into the insects, and a “genetic kill switch,” which results in their offspring inheriting the lethal gene.
Pause.
GMO mosquitoes, nature’s dirty needle, have been laced with the herpes virus and E. coli.
Doesn’t anyone remember Plum Island?
Right now there is a worldwide epidemic of MSIDS (multi systemic infectious disease syndrome or Lyme with friends) that has spread to every state and country except the Antarctica, and give it enough time and it will be found there too. There have always been ticks – albeit in pocketed areas. What is different today is we have genetically modified ticks that have been engineered to spread more virulent forms of borrelia and various co-infections that are not natural. http://www.thedogpress.com/editorials/Plum-island-LymeDisease_Andrews1.asp.
Another interesting fact is that the reason to use these GMO mosquitoes is to fight against mosquito-related tropical diseases like chikungunya, dengue, and Zika. The truth is these diseases pose little risk in Florida. There hasn’t been a confirmed case of dengue fever since 2010, and the limited cases of Zika and chikungunya were contracted in South America or the Caribbean.
At the town-hall meeting, Florida officials showed the results of a professional face-to-face survey conducted in 2013 to gauge the public’s opinion of GE mosquitoes. The survey showed the general public was opposed to the idea, but the officials state that residents are more informed now than they were then.
Then Chris Creese, Ph.D., Oxitec communications manager, added the point that you don’t need to vote when the government decides to build roads (likening this to releasing GE mosquitoes into the wild), which was met by “boos” from the residents.
Ultimately, if the GE mosquitoes become approved, they could be sought by governments worldwide, making them a major profit center. The Gates Foundation has already spent at least $20 million to fund their development, and the World Health Organization is on board too. Also, Oxitec, in partnership with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, plans to release the GE mosquitoes, which go by the name of OX513A, in Key Haven, Florida, an island of the Florida Keys located about 1 mile east of Key West.
In the future, keep your ears open to disease outbreaks by and around Key West.
For more information on GMO bugs read: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.wordpress.com/2015/12/28/frankinbugs/
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 