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GM Mosquitoes to Fight Malaria

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Context

  • Genetically modified (GMO) mosquitoes were released in Djibouti, East Africa to fight malaria.

What is Malaria?

  • Malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes. It is mostly found in tropical countries.
  • Transmission: It is caused by plasmodium protozoa. The plasmodium parasites spread through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Blood transfusion and contaminated needles may also transmit malaria.
  • Types of parasites: 5 Plasmodium parasite species cause malaria in humans and 2 of these species – P. falciparum and P. vivax – pose the greatest threat. The other malaria species that can infect humans are P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi.
  • falciparum is the deadliest malaria parasite and the most prevalent on the African continent. P. vivax is the dominant malaria parasite in most countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Symptoms: Fever and flu-like illness, including chills, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue.

 Disease burden

  • According to the World Malaria Report, there were 247 million cases of malaria in 2021 and the estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 619 000.
  • According to the World Health Organization, Africa bears the brunt of the global malaria burden, accounting for 96% of malaria deaths worldwide in 2021.
  • Four African countries accounted for just over half of all malaria deaths worldwide: Nigeria (31.3%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.6%), the United Republic of Tanzania (4.1%), and Niger (3.9%).

How do GM mosquitoes help to fight malaria?

  • The method targets female mosquitoes, which are predominantly responsible for malaria transmission.
  • It involves releasing genetically engineered male mosquitoes carrying a special gene into the wild, which then mate with females.
  • The introduced gene prevents female offspring from surviving to adulthood, effectively reducing the population of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes.
  • Male mosquitoes do not bite and therefore cannot transmit malaria.

Initiatives to control Malaria by WHO

  • The WHO’s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030 aims to reduce malaria case incidence and mortality rates by at least 40% by 2020, at least 75% by 2025, and at least 90% by 2030 against a 2015 baseline.
  • ‘E-2025 Initiative’: The WHO has identified 25 countries with the potential to eradicate malaria by 2025 under the initiative.
  • High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) initiative: WHO has initiated the initiative in 11 high malaria burden countries, including India.

Indian Government Initiatives to Control Malaria:

  • The Government of India set a target to eliminate malaria in India by 2027.
  • In India, a National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) has been developed and launched in 2016 aligned with the Global Technical Strategy (GTS) for malaria elimination 2016-2030.
  • Malaria Elimination Research Alliance-India (MERA-India): It was established by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as a conglomeration of partners working on malaria control.