GM Mosquito Release Commences in Grand Cayman - Seite 2

As well as the roll-out in Grand Cayman, Oxitec is currently deploying the technique operationally in an area of 65,000 people in Brazil, a country severely affected by the Zika virus.  

The safety and efficiency of the technique was demonstrated through field releases in East End, Grand Cayman, in 2009 and 2010, as well as Brazil and Panama. The Aedes aegypti population was reduced by more than 90 per cent in the areas where these releases took place.

"The operation we are launching today in West Bay is the deployment of a tested technique," said Dr. Petrie. "It is a public health imperative that we control the Aedes aegypti mosquito, and that is exactly what we are undertaking to do."

The genetic modification technique developed by Oxitec has also undergone exhaustive safety testing and evaluation by teams of scientists around the world.

Earlier this year, WHO recommended pilot deployment of the Oxitec technique, under operational conditions, to respond to the Zika crisis which, in February, was declared an international public health emergency.

In the Cayman Islands the initiative was reviewed by the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environment and the National Conservation Council, and official approval granted.

A proactive measure to prevent the local transmission of mosquito-borne viruses, the genetic-modification technique is being integrated with existing MRCU control methods which include the use of chemical and bacterial insecticides to kill Aedes aegypti.

The treatment area in West Bay comprises 300 acres between Watercourse Road, Powell Smith Lane, Rev. Blackman Road and Hell Road. A hundred to 200 pots, each containing approximately a thousand genetically modified, non-biting male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, will be released around three times a week.

"The 'Friendly Aedes aegypti' males will seek out the wild female Aedes aegypti and, when they have offspring, the progeny will die before reaching adulthood," explained Dr. Renaud Lacroix, Oxitec's on-island project manager. "This limits the population of Aedes aegypti, helping to reduce the risk of viral transmission among people living in the area."

Aedes aegypti differs from other breeds of mosquito in Grand Cayman as it is the only one that carries Zika, dengue and chikungunya, and bites only during the day. Swamp mosquitoes cause the most nuisance to residents and visitors, and are active after dark.