WHO Recommends Genetic Manipulation of Zika Virus-Carrying Mosquitoes

The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that genetic manipulation methods may be necessary to combat the Zika virus, a method that has generated much debate. Zika is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito and, although it does not lead to death, it causes babies born to infected pregnant women to have small heads and brain defects. According to a report by AFP, the WHO has recently predicted that next year, three to four million people in South America alone will contract the virus. Cases of Zika have been observed in over 30 countries. Following the spread of this virus in Central and South America, where the highest number of infections has been reported, an international emergency has been declared in these countries. The organization stated that it recommends countries at risk of this virus to consider new research and methods to control the Aedes mosquito, the carrier of the Zika virus, alongside conventional methods to stop the spread and infection of the public. Meanwhile, the European Union has allocated 10 million euros for research on Zika in Brazil, which has the highest number of Zika cases. Although experts believe that genetic manipulation of the Zika-carrying mosquito could prevent the spread of this virus, it may also have consequences that are currently unknown to scientists. Environmental activists have warned that genetic manipulation could lead to the extinction of these insects. According to Jamie Witwort, an infectious disease specialist at the University of London, the mosquito that carries the Zika virus does not belong to the Americas and was accidentally brought to the continent years ago. While the consequences of genetically manipulating this insect on its surrounding environment will not be clear until it is released, Witwort says there is hope that the environment can adapt to the new type of this mosquito, which will no longer carry the Zika virus after genetic manipulation.