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Stopping Malaria By Immunizing Mosquitoes
RedEaredSlider writes "Millions of people in the tropics suffer from malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that has been difficult to treat and which costs many developing countries millions of dollars per year in lost productivity. Up to now, efforts at controlling it have focused on attacking the parasites that cause it, keeping mosquitoes from biting, or killing the insects. But at Johns Hopkins University, Rhoel Dinglasan, an entomologist and biologist, decided to try another tack: immunizing mosquitoes. When a mosquito bites an infected human, it takes up some of the gametocytes. They aren't dangerous to people at that stage. Since plasmodium is vulnerable there, that is the point Dinglasan chose to attack. A mosquito's gut has certain receptor molecules in it that the plasmodium can bind to. Dinglasan asked what would happen if the parasite couldn't 'see' them, which would happen if another molecule, some antigen, were binding to those receptors."
This won't go over well with those in favor of population control and radical environmentalism. They will stop this, like they did DDT!
Life is not for the lazy.
Yes, that part I understood - but
1.) Are you going to immunise all the humans?
2.) Mosquitos reproduce a lot. So the parent which was immunised will still have unimmunised children.
Sure, if you can immunise all the malaria sufferers, it'd be neat-o - end of disease. However with all the time and resources you need to do that - not to mention that the guy is going to die anyway - is it really worth it?
The Republicans will never let this fly!