Topic: Oxitec

The CDC issued a warning regarding a surge in dengue fever cases in the Americas and Florida. The hosts link the outbreak to the release of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes by the UK-based company Oxitec, a project funded by the Bill Gates Foundation.

Biotech company Oxitec has released millions of genetically engineered male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Florida Keys to combat disease spread. The EPA recently approved the release of an additional 2.4 billion modified bugs in California and Monroe County, Florida. These lab-created insects carry a self-limiting gene designed to kill female offspring before they reach maturity, though critics remain concerned about long-term environmental impacts.

Florida officials consider using genetically modified mosquitoes from the company Oxitec to combat the spread of Zika. The technology, funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, involves releasing self-limiting insects to reduce the local mosquito population.