New Straits Times 16 Dec 10;
KUALA LUMPUR: Genetically modified or "sterile" mosquitoes will be released only in uninhabited areas to ascertain their effectiveness in eradicating the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
In giving this assurance, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said researchers were still in the experimental stage and would use the sterile mosquitoes in the laboratory and uninhabited areas.
"We will not release the sterile mosquitoes in inhabited areas until we have completed our trials and informed the public of the findings," he said at a press conference yesterday, adding that similar experiments were also being conducted in Brazil, Vietnam and India.
"We will closely monitor the situation in these countries and the outcome of their experiments."
Liow said dengue was a major concern in Malaysia with the alarming rise in the death toll.
In 2007, there were 98 deaths followed by 112 deaths in 2008, 88 deaths last year and 132 between January and Dec 4 this year.
"We are burdened with having to fight this menace continuously. We hope to reduce the number of cases with the strategic action plan put in place.
"But to seriously fight the problem, we need public cooperation."
He said this was because the breeding of Aedes was most prevalent in urban areas and, in most cases, the people were responsible for this.
