 [NBC] A British biotech firm this week got the green light from U.S. regulators to release over 2 million genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida and California as part of an expanded effort to combat transmission of diseases like Zika, dengue fever and canine heartworm.
Dengue fever running rampant in the Cotswolds and the Lake District, the impact on tourism and fly fishing is horrendous.
The experimental public health effort, which still requires final approval from state regulators, follows the 2021 release of 144,000 genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys by British biotech firm Oxitec.
Salman Pak and Wuhan have obviously fallen from favour within the BIO research community.
Oxitec said its genetically modified male, and thus non-biting, mosquitoes "find and mate with invasive female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, mediating a reduction of the target population as the female offspring of these encounters cannot survive," thus reducing the overall population.
Population reduction? Yes, yes, yes I am following the science.
In a news release announcing approval from the Environmental Protection Agency, Oxitec described its release in Florida in 2021 as a "success."
Nothing like COVID mind you, but still a success.
"Given the growing health threat this mosquito poses across the U.S., we’re working to make this technology available and accessible," Grey Frandsen, CEO of Oxitec said, adding that the company will now apply for approval from California and Florida regulators.
In Florida, Aedes aegypti are relatively rare but account for the vast majority of mosquito-transmitted disease, Oxitec said. The invasive species was first detected in California in 2013.
A human test population with aging immune systems is required.
"We made significant progress during the pilot project last year, we look forward to continuing this important work during this year’s mosquito season," Andrea Leal, director of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, said in the Oxitec news release. 
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Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses, and other disease agents. The mosquito can be recognized by black and white markings on its legs and a marking in the form of a lyre on the upper surface of its thorax.