Djibouti is feeling a new buzz - mosquitoes fighting other mosquitoes - in their fi ght against malaria The city introduced a strain of non-biting male Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes to combat vector-borne diseases like malaria. Scientists used self-limiting genes that had previously worked with Aedes aegypti (the Zika virus, dengue, and other vectors), creating genetically modified (GMO) mosquitoes. According to Oxitec , a biotech company, its FriendlyTM female mosquitoes are genetically modified so that the female offspring cannot live, which ensures that only male mosquitoes are produced for release.
The GMO male mosquitoes are released into the population where they mate with wild females thus gradually suppressing the target mosquito population. The groundbreaking Djibouti FriendlyTM Mosquito Program was launched through a collaboration between Djibouti's National Malaria Control Programme, Association Mutualis, and Oxitec. The first trial of the non-biting male mosquitoes was carried out in Ambouli, a community within Djibouti City, after being reviewed and approved by regulatory authorities from the government of Djibouti, and initiated with the importation of FriendlyTM mosquitoes into Djibouti in December 2023.
Oxitec reports that this test release was done after two years of research on Anopheles stephensi occurrence, population sizes, and habits within various towns and neighborhoods, and involved engagement with communities and stakeholders. While designing and co.
