3/14/2023 0 Comments Irss burkina fasoIn 2022, the IRSS team embarked on a new phase of work on the non gene drive genetically modified male bias mosquitoes. The results from the release were published in February 2022 in Nature Communications. The release was a success, and the team have provided feedback to its key stakeholders that were involved. The release helped the project to collect scientific data on mosquito flight patterns, dispersal, and their longevity. The village of Bana was selected to be the release site, as agreed per the agreement model developed by the community itself. The modified mosquitoes were sterile males and therefore unable to pass on their genes in the wild. In July 2019 the team achieved a major milestone, the first release of non gene drive genetically modified mosquitoes – the first of its kind on the African continent. Requesting a permit for contained use from the ANB also helps to understand regulatory processes and strengthen the dialogue with stakeholders. These studies built on the competencies and training acquired during the facilities readiness process allowing the team to hone their skills further. They chose to establish a reference community group, representing the whole community that would communicate any decisions made by them to the project, after their consultation.Īfter gaining the necessary permit from the National Biosafety Agency ( Agence Nationale de Biosécurité-ANB), the national competent authority in Burkina Faso, the team worked on non gene drive genetically modified sterile male mosquitoes – a stage of the stepwise approach to develop Target Malaria’s genetic-based technologies for malaria vector control. A dialogue was established to agree on a set of principles, namely – transparency, inclusiveness, and openness to different perspectives – and from this base the communities designed their own agreement model. We have also engaged with the different stakeholders to keep them informed of what the project is doing and our plans for the future.Īs co-development is one of Target Malaria's core values, the team decided early on that the communities where we worked should design the agreement model. We have completed what the project refers to as “Facilities Readiness” for our insectary at IRSS, ensuring compliance with international Arthropod Containment Level 2 (ACL) guidelines. Our team at the IRSS joined Target Malaria in 2012, and since then Target Malaria Burkina Faso has focused on collection of baseline entomology data to better understand what species of mosquitoes are present, their seasonal dynamics and behaviour in the natural environment. The IRSS is active in the fields of public health, biomedical science, traditional medicine, and pharmaceuticals. Target Malaria's work in Burkina Faso is led by the Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS) in Bobo-Dioulasso, and headed by the Principal Investigator Dr. In 2021, the WHO noted that there were an estimated 8,3 million malaria cases and over 18,900 estimated malaria associated deaths in the country. According to the Ministry of Health, the disease accounts for 43% of consultations with a health provider, over 60% of hospitalisations and 30% of deaths. Malaria is endemic throughout Burkina Faso, and all the population is at risk of getting infected.
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