GM mosquitoes proffer safety measures against malaria – Ex-NBMA DG
Ebegba said that the workshop was basically to propose safety measures to the environment and human health prior to the adoption of gene drive mosquito.
Dr. Rufus Ebegba, former Director-General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), says Gene Drive Modified Mosquitoes can offer new safety measures in the control of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.
Ebegba communicated this in an interview with the newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.
Elegba had, on June 10, moderated a session at a workshop in Washington, DC, U.S.
Supreme News reports that the theme of the workshop was “Environmental Monitoring of Gene-Drive Modified Mosquitoes.”
The workshop was organised by Gene Valencia and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH).
“Gene Drive Modified Mosquitoes have been proposed as a potential transformative new tool to control malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.
“The transformation can be done by sustainably reducing the numbers of mosquito vectors and/or their ability to transmit pathogens,’’ he said.
Ebegba said that the workshop was basically to propose safety measures for the environment and human health prior to the adoption of gene-drive mosquitoes.
FNIH creates and leads alliances and public-private partnerships that advance breakthrough biomedical discoveries and improve the quality of people’s lives.