Florida Locals Bugged by Proposed Release of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

Locals in the Florida Keys are concerned about the prospect of their community becoming a testing ground for the release of thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes marketed as a solution to the Zika virus, and plan to protest the potential experiment.Ultimately, however, the decision will be up to the five-member mosquito control board. Three members have said they will support whatever the public decides, according to a spokeswoman for the board, but two are up for re-election and one is retiring, and the final decision could come before or after the new members begin their terms in January.Oxitec – the British biotechnology company that created the mosquitoes – hopes to release them into the area to test their effectiveness in reducing the population of the type of mosquito that can spread Zika, which has plagued communities in Latin America and the Caribbean and has sparked fears of outbreaks in the US, particularly in Gulf states like Florida. The same type of mosquito can spread diseases like dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya.