| Popis: |
In concert with the WHO/TDR and others, a series of meetings is proposed to address various issues related to the use of genetically modified mosquitoes in public health. These meetings will address the questions raised above and will hopefully advance the discussion of the risks and benefits involved, how to measure such risks and benefits, and the practical implications and requirements for vector control. A strong theme of these discussions must be the involvement of the end users in the design and conduct of initial experimental releases. Any public health vector-control intervention must take into account the setting of the country endemic for the disease and its existing public health infrastructure. Public health vector-control workers will be deploying genetically modified vectors; hence, the workers’ views and their requirements should also be considered from the outset.It will also be necessary to clarify a regulatory framework for the oversight of release experiments, and this process will be facilitated by the scientific discussions outlined above. In the USA, there is an established Coordinated Framework (51 Fed. Reg. 23313-23338) that covers biotechnology and, in particular, transgenic arthropods. Many US departments and agencies, including Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency, and United States Department of Agriculture, have a potential role depending on the exact nature of the engineering method and the planned experiments. When a proposed release crosses international boundaries, additional jurisdictional and regulatory issues will be invoked and extra caution will be required. The WHO/TDR will probably continue to play a significant role in this regard. Finally, it will be necessary to develop a communication effort to provide the public with information about the risks and benefits of transgenic arthropod technology and what can be done to optimize the ratio of risks to benefits. |
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