Dominica says no to genetically-modified mosquitoes in Zika fight

Genetically modified mosquitoes are being considered in some countries to fight Zika
Genetically-modified mosquitoes are being considered in some countries to fight Zika

Minister of Health, Dr Kenneth Darroux is reporting that Dominica will not be engaging in the use of genetically-modified mosquitoes to combat the Aedes Egypti mosquito, the main carrier of the Zika virus.

“This is a proposal which has been on the table for quite a few years,” he at a press conference recently. “I want to make it clear that the OECS Ministers of Health and the Ministry of Health in Dominica have stated categorically that we are not going to engage in any discussion unless there is scientific proof that this is safe.”

He noted that releasing genetically-modified material into the environment might help combat the Aedes Egypti but questions what happens to the modified material.

“It will get into the water and food supply etc. We need much more concrete information before we can engage these companies which are lobbying to use this method,” Darroux said.

Recently, in a statement, the World Health Organization (WHO) said releasing genetically modified mosquitos could be deployed to hamper the spread of the Zika virus.

However, it said more research is needed to evaluate such technique.

“For genetically modified mosquitoes, the WHO Advisory Group has recommended further field trials and risk assessment to evaluate the impact of this new tool on disease transmission,” the statement said.

Last year genetically modified mosquitos were released in Brazil to combat Dengue.

Genetically modified mosquitoes generally live for three days and their offsprings never develop past the larval stage.

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37 Comments

  1. anonymous2
    February 19, 2016

    Dr, Darroux, the mosquito that is carrying the Zika virus is already a genetically engineered mosquito. Don’t buy anything that Monsanto is selling. like anymore genetically engineered anything. There should be an initiative to ban Monsanto and its products from the island. Brazil only has about a dozen cases that it can actually say are from the Zika virus. The rest is media blowing the whole thing up.

  2. Wa-a
    February 18, 2016

    We have enough bwadenn leaf to burn and chase dem manygwen out and Tetemacacque Dods constipated brain needs a sennay . Stay local to the max.

    • Discombobulated
      February 20, 2016

      Hahaha glad to see telemaque acknowledged. Guy is such a moron

  3. DominicanAtheist
    February 18, 2016

    The reasons why they aren’t allowing GM Mosquitoes are ridiculous. “It will get into the water and food supply”. They’re gene editing not adding chemical poisons. Genes of foreign organisms can’t enter the body by eating it except if it’s bacteria, virus’s, amoeba etc and they still have to get their DNA inside of your cells to make more of itself also DNA breaks down pretty fast by itself. I can come up with better reasons as to why we should keep GM mosquitoes out and they aren’t so solid.

    Let me tell you dis

    In Brazil when they started genetically modifying the mosquitoes they were having successful numbers of dengue cases decreasing. Keep in mind this was in a different area at the time so it is possible for the mosquitoes to breed else where in Brazil so that’s why the genetically modified mosquitoes haven’t stopped those carrying the zika virus, which started in a different area.

  4. Lil Ms Sunshine
    February 18, 2016

    The dragonfly is the mosquitos natural predator. How many are we seeing in our environment? Start breeding dragonflies.!!!!!!Free advice.

  5. Stealth Critique
    February 18, 2016

    “It will get into the water and food supply etc”

    That’s categorically not how genes work. Never has consuming one animal passed genes on. Viruses, bacteria, sure… but not genes.

    The Minister of Health of a country should definitely know better than that.

    • DeJoker
      February 18, 2016

      They reperesent the ignorance of the populace in general on such issues. Most of these people hear “genetically modified” and they instantly think of some kind of hideous monstrousity created in a lab to destroy entire populations or something. Fear thrives well where ignorance abounds

    • *
      February 19, 2016

      The point that he is trying to make is that of the unknown factor and possible after effects. What if you ingested one of these with your tea?… I agree with him.

  6. Dan Tanner
    February 18, 2016

    Once again stupidity trumps facts in Dominica.

  7. Estate of Mind
    February 18, 2016

    I agree with you Mr Minister, no to anything that is GMO.

    • DeJoker
      February 18, 2016

      Stop eat 50% of the food your currently eat. Including bananas

      • Dr. Pedro Gonzales, MB BS, DPH
        February 20, 2016

        Dominicans should have no cancers, no NCCDs (eg., high blood pressures, heart ailments, diabetes, etc.), because we are a ‘nature’ island. Then why are Dominicans so sick? The main culprit is pesticide use. Pesticides in our food cause cancers and a wide variety of NCCDs – this is fact, not fiction. Do your own research and petition the government to STOP the widespread use of pesticides which are contaminating all the food we eat and are making us (and our kids) very, very ill.

        It is a well known fact that all the kids born with underdeveloped heads in Brazil have tested positive for pesticides known to cause this. The Zika ‘virus’ is a red herring – a cloak – to weaken the current law suit from the Brazilian government against the pharmas for pesticide contamination – see : http://thefreethoughtproject.com/brazil-suspends-pesticide-fight-zika-virus-exposed-dangerous-virus/

        2016 is ‘slow kill’ year for all of us!! You have been warned!

  8. GB
    February 18, 2016

    Best decision taken by this government since they have been in office, although his explanation is weak.
    And even though this mosquito only last for three days , it only takes a secto bite and infect its host. I really don’t want to know what any modified mosquito can do to me. So I have to commend the government on that decision. In their effort to control population growth these rich folks will do anything to see the poor perish first. Let’s wait to see if the ten pregnant Bagan moms have kids with microcephaly. These folks might just be feeding us a bunch of lies in an effort to destroy us, where have all that talk on Ebola gone?
    We are a blessed nation, God will take care of us, no modified mosquitoes please and thank you.

    • DominicanAtheist
      February 18, 2016

      Destroying us? You mean destroying yourself with all the non sense you’re spreading. If those *10* Bajan mom’s babies don’t get microcephaly Ill call it possibility and it still hasn’t been confirmed if the zika virus is responsible for microcephaly cases with the places infected by zika.

      What harm could GM Mosquitoes do? Think of it, the disease is already out there, are you trying to tell me they’re going to put more diseases in the same area!?!?! Are you crazy??? It’s not only in Dominica don’t be so self centered. They’re going to put it in the areas infected with Zika to control the mosquito populations. It’s not the fully grown mosquito that will die, It’s the eggs that don’t even make it to larvae stage. The disease most likely will affect them the rick folks with basic maths and the countless ways diseases are carried, it WILL reach them. Also Ebola got a vaccine.

      No, we aren’t a blessed nation have you looked around lately?

  9. jonathan st jean
    February 18, 2016

    Most of the food we consume today is genetically modified. Do these self righteous OECS leaders know that.Now they are pouting out their chests about no genetically engineered mosquitoes for the region until further tests.Now who is designing, implementing and evaluating which test on their behalf? They need to answer these questions before they are taken seriously.

    • anonymous2
      February 19, 2016

      Definitely most of the food in DA is GMO from the imports to the seeds that most of these farmers use and then sell the produce at the market.

  10. no justice, no peace
    February 18, 2016

    mr darrou, ,for the first time i agree with you, we shouldnt accept that,
    the day you accept that, that is when zica will reach here,
    you would have been a more respectable man if you was making more of those sensible decisions ,but you have entangled yourself with this corrupt regime and that have destroyed you ,loose yourself from pm spell

  11. thomas stuart
    February 18, 2016

    WHY did it take u years to say NO…ANYTHING THAT IS [G M IZED ] is like onto blocking a littlel stream for many years ,and suffer a distructive mudslide ….IT was tried in Brazil why NOT the BIG COUNTRIES FROM WHICH IT CAME ? IS THIS THE ONLY TIME THAT THEYYY LOVE THE SMALLL COUNTRIES ..There is ONE VERY SIMPLE THING IN LIFE [ DON’T MATTER WHAT AMOUNT OF MONEY U STOCK WHILE DISTROYING OTHERS U WILLL LOOSE IT BUT THE KAMA WILL LEAD U WHEREVER U TROD IN THIS LIFE OR …….SHALOM

  12. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    February 18, 2016

    “Genetically modified mosquitoes generally live for three days and their offsprings never develop past the larval stage.”

    If that in the quote is true, that means Darroux has contradicted himself in all of his ramblings!

    • LuClu
      February 18, 2016

      It says generally….doesn’t mean ALWAYS. With these genetically modified fixes we’ve seen where testing is typically a success in the controlled environments. However, once the fix is deployed into a real world environment there are adverse effects. Everything is a catch-22, I strongly suggest the Dominicans take care of the environment…garbage cleanup, standing water etc. and also use natural remedies such as citronella to ward off the mosquitoes.

  13. cameron
    February 18, 2016

    great AMERICA DEVOLPED THIS MOSQUITO TO WIPE OUT SOUTH AMERICA,LET THIS COME BACK AND HUNT THEM,EASY WAY TO COMBAT THIS MOSQUITO KEEP OUR AREAS CLEAN.

  14. Yes
    February 18, 2016

    In Dominica we have bats; bats eat two to three times their body weight in mosquitoes every night. What will the bats eat if you kill off the mosquitoes? What impact will it have if the bats die off?
    Can anyone tell me if this has even been looked at?

    • thomas stuart
      February 18, 2016

      NOT only will the bats die ,but so will the animals that fed on them and the rest of the food chain ,there could also b mutation ,and or invasion of other dependent species and so on That’s why it’s VERY IMPORTANT that we should take care of our selves ,because the environment ALWAYS take care of it self ,AND it can use some ways that are not good for us ..U MAY DO WHATEVER u want to the environment it say NOTHING but when it does U FEEL IT …..It don’t need u ,U need it..DISTURB it less it disturbs u less JUST AS SAMPLE

  15. Yes
    February 18, 2016

    Strange how these babies born with small heads are being equated to the Zika virus. This illness spread by mosquito has come out of nowhere. Who was the first person to associate the Zika virus and microcephaly? Which country are they from? Who do they work for? What was the evidenced they saw linking the two? There is no name or face to put to this epiphany.
    What do people think about this fact “Last year genetically modified mosquitoes were released in Brazil to combat Dengue.”
    “For genetically modified mosquitoes, the WHO Advisory Group has recommended further field trials and risk assessment to evaluate the impact of this new tool on disease transmission,”
    Don’t you think this should have been carried out before releasing genetically modified mosquitoes into South America?

  16. Yes
    February 18, 2016

    If America wants to test its genetically modified mosquito, why don’t they test it in their

    • lightbulb
      February 18, 2016

      who say they havent tested already.

      • February 18, 2016

        Allu people eh…. WHERE!!!! did they test it sicko?
        The things were released in Brazil to fight dengue, now what, a virus compared with Ebola in the news? Volunteer to test it in your backyard.

    • anonymous2
      February 19, 2016

      It isn’t America’s GMO mosquito. These are produced, as well as the designer virus’ in laboratories all over the world owned by major corporations, mostly Monsanto ( who is also designing the chemicals in the chemtrails that are being sprayed worldwide to destroy the atmosphere surrounding the earth and plunge it into darkness by 2030). These are biological warfare agents designed by the eugenicists to curb population growth and kill people.

      • Dominicans are Awesome
        February 24, 2016

        Dominicans, join with me to thank this contributor and our beloved DNO who has ours backs and is a credit to our country, for posting this comment.

        Thanks DNO – you are the very, very best!!

    • Dr. Pedro Gonzales, MB BS, DPH
      February 20, 2016

      They have, and it works – hence the release to the world! These are evil people following no one else by their Lord Satan!

  17. February 18, 2016

    Very good decision ,because doctors in brazil think that the zika virus is due to genetically-modified mosquitoes,nonetheless in as much as the gov’t think that they are responsible for the zika virus ,they are keeping a low profile..

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      February 18, 2016

      Why don’t you use your name when you are talking fart!

      That specie of mosquitoes live and bread in Florida year long, year after year for how long do not know, and here you come talking this crap about Brazil and doctors.

      • February 18, 2016

        What is your stress padna?

      • R.Linton
        February 18, 2016
      • February 18, 2016

        So you’re really going to cite trinfinity8.com as a source?

        “Trinfinity8’s unique technology allows for streams of coded data to be transmitted through your computer’s USB port. A digital translator device then sends information to the body via specially designed hand-held quartz crystal transmitter/receiver rods.”

        I’ll stick with actual science, thank you.

  18. here and there
    February 18, 2016

    I 100% support this decision.

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