Zika Outbreak Epicenter in Same Area Where GM
Mosquitoes Were Released in 2015
U.S.A. — The World Health Organization announced it will convene
an Emergency Committee under International Health Regulations on Monday,
February 1, concerning the Zika virus ‘explosive’ spread throughout the
Americas. The virus reportedly has the potential to reach pandemic
proportions — possibly around the globe. But understandingwhy
this outbreak happened is vital to curbing it. As the WHO
statement said:
“A causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth
malformations and neurological syndromes … is strongly suspected. [These
links] have rapidly changed the risk profile of Zika, from a mild threat
to one of alarming proportions.
“WHO is deeply concerned about this rapidly evolving situation for
4 main reasons: the possible association of infection with birth
malformations and neurological syndromes; the potential for further
international spread given the wide geographical distribution of the
mosquito vector; the lack of population immunity in newly affected
areas; and the absence of vaccines, specific treatments, and rapid
diagnostic tests […]
“The level of concern is high, as is the level of uncertainty.”
Zika seemingly exploded out of nowhere. Though it was first
discovered in 1947, cases only sporadically occurred throughout Africa
and southern Asia. In 2007, the first case was reported in the Pacific.
In 2013, a smattering of small outbreaks and individual cases were
officially documented in Africa and the western Pacific. They also began
showing up in the Americas. In May 2015, Brazil reported its first case
of Zika virus — and the situation changed dramatically.
Brazil is now
considered the epicenter of the Zika outbreak, which coincides with
at least 4,000 reports of babies born with
microcephaly just since October.
When examining a rapidly expanding potential pandemic, it’s necessary
to leave no stone unturned so possible solutions, as well as future
prevention, will be as effective as possible. In that vein, there was
another significant development in 2015.
Oxitec first
unveiled its large-scale, genetically-modified mosquito farm in
Brazil in July 2012, with the goal of reducing “the incidence of
dengue fever,” as The Disease Daily
reported. Dengue fever is spread by the same Aedes mosquitoes which
spread the Zika virus — and though they “cannot fly more than 400
meters,” WHO stated, “it may inadvertently be transported by
humans from one place to another.”By July 2015, shortly after the GM
mosquitoes were first released into the wild in Juazeiro, Brazil, Oxitec
proudly announced they
had “successfully controlled the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads
dengue fever, chikungunya and zika virus, by reducing the target
population by more than 90%.”
Though that might sound like an astounding success — and, arguably,
it was — there is an alarming possibility to consider.
Nature, as one Redditor keenly
pointed out, finds a way — and the effort to control dengue, zika,
and other viruses, appears to have backfired dramatically.
Juazeiro, Brazil — the location where genetically-modified
mosquitoes were first released into the wild.
Map showing the concentration of suspected Zika-related cases of
microcephaly in Brazil.
The particular strain of Oxitec GM mosquitoes, OX513A, are
genetically altered so the vast majority of their offspring will
die before they mature — though Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher
published concerns in a
report in September 2010 that a known survival rate of 3-4
percent warranted further study before the release of the GM
insects. Her concerns, which were echoed by several other
scientists both at the time and since, appear to have been
ignored — though they should not have been.
Those genetically-modified mosquitoes work to control wild,
potentially disease-carrying populations in a very specific
manner. Only the male modified Aedes mosquitoes are supposed to
be released into the wild — as they will mate with their
unaltered female counterparts. Once offspring are produced, the
modified, scientific facet is supposed to ‘kick in’ and kill
that larvae before it reaches breeding age — if tetracycline is
not present during its development. But there is a problem.
In fact, as a confidential
internal Oxitec document divulged in 2012, that survival
rate could be as high as 15% — even with low levels of
tetracycline present. “Even small amounts of tetracycline can
repress” the engineered lethality. Indeed, that 15% survival
rate was described by Oxitec:According to an unclassified
document from the Trade and Agriculture Directorate
Committee for Agriculture dated February 2015, Brazil is the
third largest in “global antimicrobial consumption in food
animal production” — meaning, Brazil is third in the world
for its use of tetracycline in its food animals. As a study by
the American Society of Agronomy, et. al.,
explained, “It is estimated that approximately 75% of
antibiotics are not absorbed by animals and are excreted in
waste.” One of the antibiotics (or antimicrobials)
specifically named in that report for its environmental
persistence is tetracycline.
“After a lot of testing and comparing experimental design,
it was found that [researchers] had used a cat food to feed the
[OX513A] larvae and this cat food contained chicken. It is known
that tetracycline is routinely used to prevent infections in
chickens, especially in the cheap, mass produced, chicken used
for animal food. The chicken is heat-treated before being used,
but this does not remove all the tetracycline. This meant that a
small amount of tetracycline was being added from the food to
the larvae and repressing the [designed] lethal system.”
Even absent this tetracycline, as Steinbrecher explained, a
“sub-population” of genetically-modified Aedes mosquitoes could
theoretically develop and thrive, in theory, “capable of
surviving and flourishing despite any further” releases of
‘pure’ GM mosquitoes which still have that gene intact. She
added, “the effectiveness of the system also depends on the
[genetically-designed] late onset of the lethality. If the time
of onset is altered due to environmental conditions … then a
3-4% [survival rate] represents a much bigger problem…”
As the WHO stated in its press release, “conditions
associated with this year’s El Nino weather pattern are expected
to increase mosquito populations greatly in many areas.”
Incidentally, President Obama called for a
massive research effort to develop a vaccine for the Zika
virus, as one does not currently exist. Brazil has now called in
200,000 soldiers to somehow help combat the virus’ spread.
Aedes mosquitoes have reportedly been
spotted in the U.K. But perhaps the most ironic — or not —proposition was
proffered on January 19, by the MIT Technology Review:
“An outbreak in the Western Hemisphere could give
countries including the United States new reasons to try wiping
out mosquitoes with genetic engineering.
“Yesterday, the Brazilian city of Piracicaba said it would
expand the use of genetically modified mosquitoes …
“The GM mosquitoes were created by Oxitec, a British
company recently purchased by Intrexon, a synthetic biology
company based in Maryland. The company said it has released bugs
in parts of Brazil and the Cayman Islands to battle dengue
fever.”
Source(s):
http://theantimedia.org/
http://www.healthfreedoms.org/zika-outbreak-epicenter-in-same-area-where-gm-mosquitoes-were-released-in-2015/
|