Yahoo News 27 Apr 08;
Environmentalists have condemned a trial plan to deploy millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in Malaysia to fight dengue fever, a report said Sunday.
Malaysia has expressed concern about the insect-borne scourge after 25 people were killed in the first three months of the year.
The New Sunday Times newspaper said the genetically modified (GM) male mosquitoes will be first freed in Ketam island, a fishing village south of Kuala Lumpur, in an attempt to kill Aedes mosquitoes which spread dengue fever.
Environmental groups, however, oppose the plan.
"Like all GM organisations, once they have been released in the wild, how do you prevent them from interacting with other insects and produce mutants which may be worse than the Aedes mosquito," said Gurmit Singh, chairman of the Center for Environment Technology and Development.
Dengue is endemic to Malaysia, which has seen a rise of 16 percent in cases every year since 2003, according to the government.
Fatalities from dengue in Malaysia reached record levels in 2004, when 102 people died.
Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said in the first three months of 2008, more than 9,800 cases of the mosquito-borne disease were reported, with 25 people killed.
The field trials for the GM mosquitoes will be undertaken by the Malaysian health ministry and British-based Oxiter Ltd, an insect bio-tech company.
The newspaper said lab trials conducted for the first time in the world during the past one year had produced success, and that field testing would begin by early next year.
The technique involves releasing GM-made Aedes mosquitoes to mate with the female mosquitoes of the same type, it said. The lethal genes from the warrior mosquitoes cause the larvae to die.
Only a female mosquito can transmit dengue fever because it has a proboscis that can pierce the skin.
Fear over impact on ecological system
New Straits Times 27 Apr 08;
ENVIRONMENTALISTS are not against new technologies to fight the dengue scourge but are against the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) which may cause more harm than good.
Acknowledging the need to progress with science, Cetdem's Gurmit Singh feared that the introduction of the GM mosquitoes into the wild to eliminate the aedes population could instead have serious consequences on the country's ecological system.
"And like all GMOs, once they are released into the wild, how do you prevent them from interacting or crossbreeding with other insects and producing mutants which may be worse than the aedes mosquito?" he asked.
"Although the technology sounds positive in getting rid of the dengue menace, we cannot take risks on a big scale because we really do not know the side effect these mosquitoes will have on other organisms and the eco-system.
"Unless they have done enough studies to ascertain the safety of the GM mosquito and until these questions are answered, I would be uncomfortable with the use of GMOs."
Fish and other insects such as the dragonfly feed on mosquito larvae.
Gurmit also questioned why Pulau Ketam was chosen for the field tests.
"Is it because it is prone to dengue or is it because it is an island and therefore easier to control in the event something goes wrong?"
He said there should also be effective monitoring of the project if it is implemented and suggested that it be done by a broad group of independent researchers from around the world.
Malaysian Nature Society president Datuk Dr Salleh Mohd Nor said it would be dangerous "to release these GMOs into the wild with the hope that it would do the things it should do".
He said although scientists should not be stopped from carrying out trials and pioneering new technologies for the benefit of mankind, they should approach it with caution.
"I'm concerned that releasing it into the wild without thoroughly understanding its implications may affect the ecology and cause other diseases to be transmitted."
Salleh also questioned whether the country was legally protected in the event something goes wrong with these field trials.
"These issues have not been raised. We need adequate laws to ensure there is a mechanism in place to protect the country under such circumstances."
Big hope for 'warrior' Aedes
By Heidi Fooheidi, New Straits Times 28 Apr 08;
KLANG: The Health Ministry will consider all factors when conducting field trials using genetically modified (GM) Aedes mosquitoes.
Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said it was too soon to conclude whether the method would be a success as it was at the research stage.
"It is a technological breakthrough and we are hoping that it can control the disease," he said, adding that research was also being done on vaccines.
Liow was commenting on fears expressed by environmentalists that the release of GM Aedes mosquitoes could cause more harm than good.
The New Sunday Times reported yesterday that the Institute of Medical Research and a company partly owned by the University of Oxford would release "warrior" mosquitoes in Pulau Ketam off Selangor to combat the den-gue scourge.
Speaking at a press conference after officiating the Federation of Alumni Associations of Taiwan Universities, Mal-aysia annual general meeting in Centro Mall yesterday, Liow said there was a shortage of about 9,000 doctors in the country, adding that in the past five years, more than 100 Malaysian specialists practising abroad had applied to return.
He said those who returned could apply for research grants from the government.
He said the eight Taiwanese universities that were recognised by the government were Medical School of Taiwan, Defence Medical School, Yang Ming Medical School, Chung Kung Medical School, Taipei Medical School, China Medical School, Chung Shan Medical School and Kaoshiung Medical University.
