The US is about to release more than 2 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the environment, the risk of harming the community?

Recently, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the release of about 2.4 million genetically modified male mosquitoes in Florida and California. However, some environmental advocacy groups have expressed concern and warned that the move could harm public health.

It is known that the biotechnology company Oxitec (based in the UK, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) has developed a genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquito so that males do not bite people. They are released into the wild and mate with females. The aim of this project is to reduce the transmission of harmful diseases, such as dengue, Zika and yellow fever. Millions of these genetically modified mosquitoes will find a way to destroy their disease-causing wild counterparts. Their offspring, male or female, will never survive to adulthood. In theory, over time as the 'population' of female mosquitoes decreases, the overall 'population' of mosquitoes should decrease.

However, this has been met with fierce opposition from experts and people because they are afraid of being bitten by genetically modified mosquitoes, or by genetically modified insects that will disrupt the ecosystem. Some experts also believe that this is only to maximize Oxitec's profits, not to relate to the urgent need to prevent mosquito-borne diseases.

"This is a destructive move that endangers public health," said Dana Perls, food and technology program director for Friends of the Earth. Once you release these mosquitoes into the environment, it's not easy to get them back. In fact, this can create problems that we can't foresee," Perls said. "This is just to maximize Oxitec's profits, not related to the urgent need to prevent mosquito-borne diseases."