OPINION

Trial of GM mosquitoes could soon happen in Florida

Carolyn Neuhaus and Arthur Caplan
My View

Do you want to live in a town where there are genetically modified mosquitoes flitting around? Monroe County, Florida, will soon get the chance to decide.

A lot of people think they should vote no. They are wrong.

On August 5, the FDA announced that releasing genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes in Key Haven, Florida, would have no significant impact on the environment or human health. The decision came after the agency spent years scrutinizing the likely effects of releasing the mosquitoes, and thousands of public comments.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito transmits Zika, dengue and chikungunya, among other diseases. The hope is that releasing the GM mosquitoes will suppress – if not eliminate – local populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes. And if there are no disease-carrying mosquitoes, there are no diseases.

The proposed trial involves releasing GM male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in a neighborhood in Key Haven, a small island in the Florida Keys. The mosquitoes are genetically engineered to express a “self-limiting” gene that kills offspring before they reach adulthood. They also carry a red fluorescent marker, making any GM mosquito easy to identify under a microscope.

The FDA’s finding does not mean, “Hello, genetically modified mosquitoes!” The Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board still has to sign off.

Rather than decide themselves, the Board will consult the public. Monroe County residents will vote on Nov. 8 whether the trial should be allowed to take place.

This type of “advisory” referendum is unusual. It is used to gauge public opinion, but officials are not obligated to do what the public says.

We hope the residents of Monroe County vote yes to the mosquito trial.

Current efforts to suppress Aedes aegypti populations are not working. Sprays, repellents and screens – things we are already doing – have not stopped the recent spread of Zika to the United States.

Zika has been shown to cause brain deformities in some babies born to mothers infected during their pregnancies, and paralysis and even respiratory failure in adults. Zika can be sexually transmitted. And it can get into the blood supply from an infected donor.

Whatever the risks of releasing GM mosquitoes, and they seem small, they must be weighed against the risks of the continued spraying of chemicals. Spraying insecticides from helicopters and trucks isn’t exactly “natural” or good for our pets, our drinking water or us. Nor is slathering ourselves with bug repellants.

This seems to be lost on some people vehemently opposed to GMOs. If releasing GM mosquitoes turns out to have as little impact on the environment as the FDA says, those who are “green” should celebrate its use.

There will be a lot of scary talk before November about Franken-mosquitoes running amok. The residents of Monroe county should ignore all that.

Despite its bad rap in some circles, genetic engineering may turn out to be the best and safest technology we have to stop mosquito-borne diseases.

Carolyn Neuhaus and Arthur Caplan are bioethicists in the Division of Medical Ethics, New York University Langone Medical Center.