Dengue fever can develop into a lethal situation for people and is spread by mosquitoes carrying the viral infection. It is estimated that between 50-100 million new cases occur each year.

Scientists working on a new study published in Nature Biotechnology are looking at ways to reduce the numbers of mosquitoes carrying and infecting people with Dengue Fever. To do so they have introduced a genetically sterile mosquito into the wild (during clinical studies), hoping that the population will be reduced as a result.

The first stage of open-air field tests was performed in the Cayman Islands and the results were reported in the journal listed above. The second stage of the trial released millions of genetically sterile mosquitoes and resulted in a population collapse of 80%.

The study is not without controversy, as some environmental groups are very concerned about the impact of the GM approach. For more information on this study please visit http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/236849.php.