(This story was corrected on July 27, 2023, to clarify that genetically modified mosquitoes were not released in Texas.
The modified mosquitoes, which were released only in Florida, were all male, and only female mosquitoes feed on blood, which is how they transmit the malaria parasite from person to person, a mosquito-control expert said.
Moreover, Markowski noted, only female mosquitoes “blood feed,” which needs to happen to transmit diseases like malaria, and the only genetically modified mosquitoes released are males, which feed only on plant juices and therefore cannot transmit malaria (explained further here).
Reuters has previously addressed misinformation about uses of genetically modified mosquitoes (here), (here) and (here).
Recent cases of malaria in the U.S. could not have been caused by the release of genetically modified mosquitoes.
Persons:
they’re, Aedes aegypti, Daniel Markowski, Markowski, Oxitec, Joshua Van Raalte, “ Oxitec, Read
Organizations:
Oxitec, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Reuters, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, American Mosquito Control Association
Locations:
Texas, Florida, Harris County , Texas, U.S, BioNTech, Florida and Texas, Saharan Africa, South Asia