{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1868579,
        "msgid": "ugandan-scientists-develop-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-to-eradicate-malaria-1784472661",
        "date": "2026-07-19 21:27:00",
        "title": "Ugandan Scientists Develop Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes to Eradicate Malaria",
        "author": "Gana Buana",
        "source": "MEDIA_INDONESIA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Health",
        "summary": "Researchers at the Uganda Virus Institute are pioneering a genetic modification technique to alter mosquito populations in a bid to eliminate malaria. The strategy focuses on manipulating a specific gene to increase the proportion of male mosquitoes, which do not bite or transmit the disease. Field trials are planned for the Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria within the next two to three years, pending regulatory approval.",
        "content": "<p>Scientists at the Uganda Virus Institute are developing a genetic\nengineering innovation in mosquitoes to completely eradicate malaria.\nThis step is being taken in response to the growing threat of malaria\nspreading to Europe and North America due to the impact of global\nclimate change. According to data from the World Health Organisation\n(WHO), infection by the Plasmodium parasite, transmitted by female\nAnopheles mosquitoes, affects approximately 263 million people annually.\nThe majority of fatal cases occur on the African continent, primarily\ntargeting children under five. This innovation is being developed by the\ninternational consortium \u2018Target Malaria\u2019, which involves more than 200\nresearchers across multiple countries. Jonathan Kayondo, Head of the\nInsect Research Department at the Uganda Virus Institute, explained that\nhis team is focusing on manipulating one specific gene to increase the\nnumber of male mosquitoes. \u2018By manipulating one gene, we can increase\nthe number of male mosquitoes,\u2019 Kayondo stated. This strategy is crucial\nbecause, medically, only female mosquitoes draw blood and transmit the\nparasite. If the male population dominates over several generations,\ndisease transmission is expected to cease automatically. Genetically\nengineered mosquito larvae from the US CDC laboratory have now arrived\nin Uganda under strict security. The research team is scheduling field\ntrials on the Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria within the next two to\nthree years, once all official permits are fulfilled. Kayondo stressed\nthat ecological safety evaluation is the top priority. This genetic\nmodification must be ensured not to trigger secondary risks or increase\nthe spread of other diseases in the wild ecosystem. This effort aligns\nwith the UN target to reduce global malaria cases by 90 per cent by\n2030. Scott Filler of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and\nMalaria (GFATM) cautioned that conventional methods are becoming limited\ndue to ongoing parasite mutations. \u2018History teaches us that we can lose\nthe biological race if we only continue to treat malaria,\u2019 Filler\nasserted. Direct genetic manipulation of the transmission vector is now\na new focal point of hope in international science.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ugandan-scientists-develop-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-to-eradicate-malaria-1784472661",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}