Posted on 01/30/2016 10:26:03 AM PST by BenLurkin
Transmitted through the sting of an infected mosquito, the virus can cause a birth defect called microcephaly in newborn babies. The rare condition shrinks the brains of unborn babies and could affect as many as 4 million people before a vaccine is developed.
But scientists at the biotech firm Oxitec, based in the U.K., have an alternative plan. They want to unleash armies of gene-hacked mosquitoes into Brazilian jungles to seek and destroy the disease-carrying insects.
The genetically modified mosquitoes wouldn't fight the Zika carriers in probiscus-to-probiscus combat. In fact, these mosquitoes make love, not war.
That's because the mosquitoes, specifically a strain called Aedes aegypti, would be modified in the lab first to carry a gene that would be transferred to their offspring after mating with wild versions in the jungle.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.discovery.com ...
Well this ought to work out well...
Fast and Furious fiasco again ???
If that starts spreading, they need to bring back DDT. Pronto.
What could go wrong??
I agree. A one time shot will do wonders.
If the goobermint lets those knowledgeable about biogenetics effectively repeat such a campaign, it might well -- based on actual experience, not computer modelling -- be a successful one. Now, that said, the odds of the goobermint NOT meddling in things they do not know about at all are, sadly, next to nil.
Zika Outbreak Epicenter In Same Area Genetically-Modified Mosquitoes Released In 2015
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-29/zika-outbreak-epicenter-same-area-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-released-2015
This is how the Zombie Apocalypse starts.
It may be that where Zika is endemic, nearly everyone is infected as a child, and gains immunity, and so Zika-caused birth defects are relatively uncommon, as was the case with German measles before the vaccine.
In that way, Zika might eventually be fairly self-limiting in its effects, after an initial round of tragedy.
It’s a good idea and has been used to combat other insect or animal pests. However, the best thing would be DDT. A lot of poor southern areas of the world, including the US South, are big Aedes hatcheries because there’s simply a lot of standing water around and in many of these areas, there’s poor maintenance and sanitation. So they’re not going to be out there draining their standing water to keep skeeters from hatching.
That said, this particular virus has been known since the 1940s. The effects are pretty mild and the connection with microcephaly is not even proven. Any virus, including the common cold, in an early stage of pregnancy will cause either birth defects or miscarriages. A rise in microcephaly for undetermined reasons in a Brazilian state is now being used as a ZPG panic button to terrify women into not having children and also to push abortion in Latin American countries that have rejected or severely restricted it. The UN is behind this.
If you want to really deal with the Zika virus, get rid of the mosquito, not the people.
Whoops....
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