OMG!! WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!~~

This was the first reaction in my mind when i read about this article on Malaysiakini. Apparently, without even a hint to the media or the general public at large, 6000 genetically modified mosquitoes was released at an inhabited site in Pahang. This hallmark scientific trial is suppose to be an experiment to combat dengue fever.

Below are excerpt from the Malaysiakini article

The Institute of Medical Research (IMR), which was tasked with carrying out the trial, said the experiment was conducted on Dec 21 to "study the dispersal and longevity of these mosquitoes in the field".

"The experiment was successfully concluded on January 5, 2011," the institute said in a statement today, adding that no further releases are planned until the trial results are analysed.

The insects in the experiment have been engineered so that their offspring quickly die, curbing the growth of the population in a technique researchers hope could eventually eradicate the dengue mosquito altogether.

Females of the Aedes species are responsible for spreading dengue, a deadly disease which killed at least 134 people last year in Malaysia alone.

Seriously speaking, are the government out of their minds?? Did hair suddenly grow out of their balls one day that they did not even try to implicate the ecological disaster that may happen from such an uncontrolled environment? I can more or less understand if they did this experiment in a huge controlled greenhouse like environment but NO, the iron ball scientist thought it would be safe to release this genetically modified, potentially mutating "insects" in an inhabited site. HELLOOO!!! MOZZIES CAN FLY LAH!!~~

Maybe its just me seeing too much horror movie but for the mosquito mutate and creating even more resistant mosquito may be possible right?

Maybe later in the years we will hear people falling sick in Pahang due to some mystery fever or flu. But by then it may just be the beginning of the end............


P.S I may have exaggerated a bit but GM animals be it insect or not should be handled with care. There is no guarantee of what the consequence this action may do. Only time will tell.