Mosquitoes have been a big problem to humans for a long time. They have been spreading diseases and causing deaths to millions of people. They make annoying noises in your ear and leave itching bites on your body.
For a long time, humans have been trying to fight against this menace called mosquito, and they have come up with different solutions. One of the most recent solutions that scientists have come up with to get rid of mosquitoes is "Genetically Modified (GM) Mosquitoes.
WHAT ARE GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOSQUITOES
Genetically modified mosquitoes are mosquitoes that have a new gene introduced into them, which was not originally present.
There are over 200 types of wild mosquitoes in the America and U.S. territories. One of the most common types is Aedes aegypti, which can spread diseases like zika, yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya.
Once the genes of an Aedes aegypti mosquito has been changed in a lab, they will be able to control the disease carrying ones, and can serve as a viable alternative to insecticides.
PROS OF GM MOSQUITOES
1. Genetically modified mosquitoes can help in lowering the population of biting and disease carrying insects.
2. It will reduce the use of insecticides and pesticides, which are harmful to our health and the environment.
3. Field-testing results show that genetically modified mosquitoes does not have any significant impact on humans.
4. It requires little effort from humans. All you have to do is introduce the genetically modified mosquitoes to the environment, and they'll do the dirty work for you.
5. it can complement the current mechanical efforts used in controlling mosquito population.
CONS OF GM MOSQUITOES
1. GM mosquitoes are expensive and time-consuming to produce.
2. There is a possibility that the GM mosquitoes may carry unknown pathogens which could be harmful to human.
3. They could mutate into a stronger mosquito which could pose as a risk.
4. Even with the gene modifications, some devised GM mosquitoes may survive into adulthood and breed.
5. Government researchers have concluded that most of the pesticides are safe, there might be no need to risk introducing a new method whose long-term impact to humans is unknown.
CONCLUSION
So are GM mosquitoes good or bad? It is difficult to tell, because both the pros and cons are valid. However, more long-term research and observation is required to watch out for unexpected effects.