EPA Authorizes Release of 2 Billion More GMO Mosquitoes as Reports of Malaria Surface in States That Already Released Them
Locally acquired malaria has been nonexistent in the U.S. for the last 20 years. But five such cases have recently been diagnosed — four in Florida and one in Texas — the only two states that have rel
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Story at a glance:
Genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes created by biotechnology company Oxitec have been released in the U.S. in Florida and Texas.
In March 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted Oxitec a two-year extension of its experimental use permit, or EUP, which would allow the biotech company to release additional GE mosquitoes in Florida as well as in four counties in California for the first time.
While the EPA extended Oxitec’s EUP both the Florida Department of Agriculture and California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) must approve Oxitec’s testing in order for it to move forward in their states.
Following pushback from legislators, California’s DPR announced Oxitec voluntarily withdrew its research authorization application to test its GE mosquitoes in California.
Locally acquired malaria has been nonexistent in the U.S. for the last 20 years, but five such cases have recently been diagnosed — four in Florida and one in Texas.
GE mosquitoes created by biotechnology company Oxitec have been released in the U.S., even though the long-term effects could be disastrous.
Oxitec is using Aedes aegypti (A. aegypti) mosquitoes for this real-world experiment, the species known to carry yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika, West Nile and Mayaro, a dengue-like disease.
Oxitec genetically engineered the males to carry a “genetic kill switch,” such that when they mate with wild female mosquitoes, their offspring inherits the lethal gene and cannot survive or reproduce in the wild.
In the U.S., Oxitec is marketing the insects as Oxitec Friendly mosquitoes, trying to put a non-threatening name on a reckless project that could quickly backfire.
It may even be too late, as the GE mosquitoes have already been released in multiple locations.
EPA’s not worried about releasing GMO insects in the wild
Initially, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was in charge of reviewing the GE mosquitoes, but in October 2017, it transferred the power for regulatory approval over to the EPA, after categorizing the insects as pesticides rather than drugs to prevent disease.
The transfer was a huge win for Oxitec, as the EPA is required to review new pesticides quickly, within 12 months of submission, while the FDA has no set timelines. The EPA stated there will be “no unreasonable adverse effects to humans or the environment.”
The EPA explained:
“Like all pesticides, Oxitec’s genetically engineered mosquitoes are regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and therefore must meet the statutory requirement of no unreasonable adverse effects to humans or the environment to be granted an Experimental Use Permit (EUP).
“Prior to approving the EUP, EPA conducted extensive evaluation of the best available science, considered public input, and consulted with technical experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Only male OX5034 mosquitoes will be released into the environment. Because male mosquitoes do not bite humans, they do not pose a human health risk.”
It also ruled there would be “no discernible effects” on endangered species, birds, bats, fish or other organisms and “animals are not expected to be harmed from the potential reduction in the local Aedes aegypti population because predators that eat mosquitoes generally have a diverse diet and none are known to use Aedes aegypti mosquitoes as a sole or critical food source.”
However, this doesn’t tell the whole story. Oxitec’s mosquitoes are engineered to die in the absence of the antibiotic tetracycline, which is introduced in the lab in order to keep them alive long enough to breed. They were designed this way assuming they would not have access to that drug in the wild, a failsafe to ensure the insects don’t survive in the wild.
But as is usually the case, the failsafe isn’t perfect, especially since antibiotics are known contaminants in waterways worldwide.
Even the EPA acknowledges this and has restricted the release of the GE mosquitoes, also known as OX5034, near areas likely to have antibiotics in the water:
“To ensure that no OX5034 female mosquito offspring survive, EPA has taken the precaution of restricting release of OX5034 mosquitos within 500 meters of potential sources of tetracyclines, as there is a remote chance that environmental sources of tetracycline could have enough tetracycline present to act as a counter agent to the OX5034 female mosquito-lethal trait.
“Releases must not occur within 500 meters from the outer perimeter of 1) wastewater treatment facilities; 2) commercial citrus, apple, pear, nectarine, and peach crops; and 3) commercial cattle, poultry, and pig livestock facilities. The 500-meter distance creates a conservative buffer zone between OX5034 release points and potential environmental tetracycline sources.”
Safety concerns surround GMO mosquitoes
A Center for Food Safety webinar raised several concerns about Oxitec’s GM insects, including misleading efficacy claims, disease rebound and the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria — not to mention there’s no informed consent for populations being exposed to this massive experiment.
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I already said this once on Mercola’s page, but it’s worth repeating for this cross-post:
The most important part of this story are the nameless & blameless most powerful public officials—who could have stopped this—but are in fact protecting these bioengineering monsters👻, again. Whether it’s the GMO mosquitoes or the pathogens these designer bugs are carrying, they’ll insist “you needed it,” and without your knowledge or consent, again. As if a GMO mosquito will give you fair warning.
The second aspect of this story nobody is talking about are the individuals who packed up and moved to Florida and Texas since the Scamdemic unfolded—and continues to evolve in ways I’m sure both investigative reporters and security officials never anticipated, right?🖕🏾. That’s right. What say you, you lucky, nomadic fools who left one fascist state for it’s identical twin with different names—but same fascist policies—and now with deadly-safe GMO, human gene-altering mosquitoes.
The third part of the story nobody is talking about are the chemicals everyone is spraying on their skin, breathing into their lungs and digesting to “protect” themselves, like the ☠️ chemicals in OFF mosquito repellent.
I suspect the malaria more likely from the mass influx at the southern border than the GM mosquitoes. The ones in Florida were released about 7 yrs ago. Surely this would have happened sooner were that the case. Either that or collapsed immune sysytems from the bioweapon opening people up to all sorts of things. Plus, is it really malaria or more rebranding?