Matthew Ebalu

Professor Matyakubova
English 21003, Section K
Final Argumentative Essay
October 23rd, 2016
Eradication for the Greater Good

Figure 1. Courtesy of Jason Mills.

Abstract page
The purpose of this experiment is to develop a new kind of approach based on
existing technologies that will help to solve the world epidemic of diseases caused by
mosquitoes. Earlier methods such as nets, fogging areas, and clearing out puddles where
mosquitoes can breed, were successful to various degrees, but were more of desperate
measures to stop the existing spread of the diseases, rather than eradicating them (Oxitec
5) (Vesper et al. 7). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the total
number of human casualties as a result of mosquito-related diseases has an average of
one million per year (WHO 2-4). However, rather than stopping the spread of the
diseases, why not eradicate them all? The way we do this is by investing more on
genetically modified mosquitoes (GMO mosquitoes). These GMO mosquitoes are bred,
and gene sequences are injected in these mosquitoes that contain pathogenic substance
for the sterility of female mosquitoes and degeneration of mosquito eggs.

Extinction of species is a normal aspect of life; it is a part of natural selection and

has been occurring long before humans even existed. Mosquitoes are known to cause
some of the worlds deadliest diseases and we can get rid of these vectors using Oxitecs
technology, thereby diminishing, if not eradicating, cases of the deadly diseases. Oxitec, a
British biotechnology company, engineered a possible solution to our age-old problem:
create genetically modified mosquitoes (GMO mosquitoes) that will do the eradicating
for us. This research by Oxitec holds a possible solution for future dealings with
mosquitoes. This technology is far more accurate than spraying pesticides, which causes
collateral damage affecting everything from water cycles, to birds, and eventually
humans. Yet the benefits of the new mosquitoes don't end there: GMO mosquitoes can
serve as a safeguard against future vectors. In habitats where species have been removed,
other animals can fill their niche, or the role they previously played. (Carvalho et. al, 3).
The potential benefits of eradicating these mosquitoes, using GMO mosquitoes, would
lead to an overall economical societal stability by reducing, significantly, the cases of
mosquito-causing diseases, as well as humans and animals casualties.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other
organisms, with approximately one-million people dying worldwide yearly from
mosquito-borne diseases (World Health Organization, 1)(Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 1-3). Malaria alone kills 6 million people per decade, with the majority of
deaths being children (WHO 2016). Additionally, theres the pest factor. Not only are
mosquitoes annoying nuisances to humans, they can form swarms thick enough to
asphyxiate caribou in Alaska (Janet Fang et. al 8).

Preventive measures against mosquito-borne diseases in the past have shown to

have little effect in saving life. Preventive measures were taken, due of the impact of
these species, to tackle this problem. Some of these preventive measures include, sprays,
nets, and vaccines against specific diseases. However, despite these measures we still see
countless people dying each year. Clearly, these preventive measures are not enough.
Instead of focusing on the virus this time, why not tackle the source? Mosquitoes are
responsible for transmitting some of the deadliest diseases known to mankind, such as
malaria, dengue fever, west nile virus, and zika. Railing against all these diseases
individually doesnt make much sense, when we can get rid of all of them at once.
Additionally, if this experiment were to be in effect, would save us more money
than past methods. The past methods have shown us that the economic costs of treating
these diseases are just as staggering as the number of new cases, likely in the tens of
billions of dollars each year (Daniel Engber et. al 8). When researchers totaled up the
losses caused by Dengue fever in Brazil alone, it came out to $1.35 billion annually, not
including the $1 billion that must be spent to control the spread of dengue-infected flies
(Kim M. Pepin et al 7-12). These figures do not even include patients with malaria, zika,
west nile, and other mosquito-borne diseases. So we can only imagine that it would take
billions to cure all mosquito-related diseases. However, the amount it will take to further
the research and production of technologies to eradicate the disease-carrying species of
mosquitoes would be much cheaper. According to research done by Alanna Petroff,
CNNs senior business reporter, $37,000 towards a project for Oxitec mosquitoes protects
a neighborhood of 5,000 residents. Thats approximately $7.4 million to protect one

million people for life. In the long run, investing in these technologies could save us
millions of dollars that could be better used elsewhere (Petroff, 5).

Figure 2. courtesy of oxitech.org This

figure explains how these GMO mosquitoes will be bred in the lab.

These GMO mosquitoes are bred in the lab and have been closely monitored for
their values. Oxitecs mosquitoes were designed at the genetic level for futility. This
futility, however, couldnt be more advantageous for humans. As seen in figure 2, when
the mosquitoes are still developing snug in their eggs in Oxitec labs, the eggs are
individually injected with certain gene codes. Some are responsible for passing on a gene
lethal to the mosquitoes offspring. Once a few of these eggs hatch, the resulting
mosquitoes develop and mate, producing a new generation of mosquitoes that will die in
the larval stage (Oxitec FAQ 2-8). Another gene code that is inserted into developing
eggs causes sterility in males (known as OX513A mosquitoes). Sterile males grow up to
mate with fertile females, but no offspring are produced from their mating. Once released

into the wild, these sterile mosquitoes compete with wild males and mate with wild
females, producing either fruitless mating or offspring that do not survive into adulthood.
In essence, these weapons thin the population of these mosquitoes over a short span of
time, until the population can no longer sustains itself, leading to a population crash
(Carvalho et al. 2016).
As dangerous and deadly as mosquitoes are, it is important to review the effects
that their extinction could have on the ecological systems in which they are found.
According to Elizabeth Miller, a mosquito expert, mosquitoes larvae that are found in
water provide food for fish and other wildlife. She explains that the larvae themselves eat
and recycle microscopic organic matter in water. Adult mosquitoes serve as food for
insects, birds, bats and spiders and they also help in the pollination of some flowers by
consuming the flowers nectar (Miller 7). This experiment is not looking to eradicate all
species of mosquitoes, but just the disease-carrying ones. According to the CDC, there
are about 3500 species of mosquitoes and of those only about 30 to 40 species are
disease-carriers. Of those 30 to 40 species, only the female mosquitoes actually transmit
malaria, yellow fever, dengue, zika and others (CDC 7). Eradicating these 30-40 species
that have been causing human casualties for hundreds of years would barely make an
imprint on the total population of mosquitoes, leaving over 3,450 species of mosquitoes
to continue playing their role in the ecosystem. When it comes to these major disease
vectors, "it's difficult to see what the downside would be", says insect ecologist Steven
Juliano, of Illinois State University (Fang 3).
Also, many scientists and conservationists may worry about the ethical aspects of
such a task. If humans were allowed to eradicate a mosquito species for their own reasons

then what is stopping humans from killing off other species? Well, extinction of species is
a normal aspect of life; it is a part of natural selection and has been occurring long before
humans even existed. For example, according to the Centers for Diseases and Control, the
5th mass extinction killed off 96% of the worlds species, and during this time humans
never existed. Mosquitoes are known to cause some of the worlds deadliest diseases to
mankind, and since this experiment is not looking to eradicate all mosquitoes, but just the
disease carrying ones, then what is stopping us?
It is clear that the potential benefits here outweigh the concerns. The specific
disease-carrying mosquitoes that we propose targeting arent known to be crucial to any
food chains, limiting any ecological effects that their elimination might bring about. As
time goes on, more lives will be saved with less and less money. This new technology
will allow for the removal of the mosquito problem at its root, with a level of precision
similar to a surgeons scalpel. In essence, Oxitecs creations have allowed for a paradigm
shift: dealing with mosquitoes doesnt need to be primarily defensive; it can be
aggressively combative. This new methods of eradication may have a high initial cost
but the results are tangible; the technology is at the tip of our fingers ready to be put to
use and the potential returns are vast.

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