The release is part of the ‘Djibouti Friendly Mosquito Programme’ to stop the spread of Anopheles stephensi. 

• Anopheles stephensi is a mosquito species that is capable of transmitting both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria parasites.
• Only female mosquitoes bite and transmit malaria and other viral diseases.

Under the project, friendly non-biting male Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes have been developed and they carry self-limiting genes that kills female offspring before they reach maturity.

• By reducing the female mosquito population, spread of the disease can be controlled.  

Technology involved in creating GM Mosquitoes

• Laboratory Method: GM mosquitoes are mass-produced in a laboratory to carry two types of genes:
  • A self-limiting gene that prevents female mosquito offspring from surviving to adulthood.
    • Similar technology has been successfully used in India.
  •  A fluorescent marker gene that glows under a special red light. 
• Gene Drives Technology (GDT): A type of genetic engineering technique that modifies genes so that they don’t follow the typical rules of heredity.
  • It increases the likelihood that a particular suite of genes will be passed onto the next generation, allowing the genes to rapidly spread through a population and override natural selection.