By Michael Frohnapple
What if we could prevent more deaths caused by any animal on the earth? More deaths than humans, sharks, lions or tigers killing other humans? The most deadly animal on earth for humans.... mosquitos. We have the ability to completely eradicate mosquitos from the world environment. They offer near zero ecological benefit. Some birds, bats, dragonflies and spiders use mosquitos as a food source. There is no argument against this. There is a solid argument that removing mosquitos from the world will not affect any of these important parts of our environment. None of them use the mosquito, this devastating species, for more than 10 percent of their diet. They will easily adapt.
The information below was copied and pasted from the USNIH website for the debilative effects from malaria:
Malaria is a severe, parasitic disease causing acute fever, chills, headaches, and muscle aches, with symptoms typically appearing 7–30 days after a mosquito bite. Severe cases can cause coma, seizures, anemia, and death, particularly in children under 5. Long-term effects include cognitive deficits, behavioral issues, and chronic anemia.
US National Institutes of Health (.gov)
Cognitive Impairment: Learning disabilities, reduced IQ, and poor memory. Neurological Damage: Motor skill impairment, hearing loss, and behavioral problems. Chronic Anemia. Epilepsy: Seizure disorders
How do we, or should we, fix this problem? The solution is obvious, with science. Science has improved the quality of life of humans for thousands of years. Tens of thousands.
We have the ability to eradicate this parasite from our environment available right now. We had it almost a decade ago. Gene editing. It sounds so scary when those words are said. Science is scary, to be sure, but the knowledge of this technology and the world we live in makes it less scary. Consider this, every time a person goes outside and basks in the sun’s rays, your body is experiencing gene editing. Every time you age another day, another month, another year, your body is experiencing gene editing.
Shouldn’t we use this to our own advantage? Shouldn’t we grasp our knowledge and intelligence of the brilliant parts of science and use it to our advantage?
Let me explain the biomedical engineering proven method to you. A male mosquito is genetically modified to ensure every time he fertilizes an embryo, all his offspring are male. Male mosquitos don’t bite people, only females do. Simply explained, none of his babies will ever bite another person and transmit malaria, dengue or west nile virus. Ever. When (hopefully) we keep introducing these modified parasites, they will completely remove the diseases spread by the mosquito species from the world.
Think about this reality. Worldwide. You’ll never have another mosquito bite you’ll scratch on. You’ll never have another case of malaria again. Millions and millions of lives will be saved. Data shows that on average, every person in the African continent contracts malaria once a year. On average. It’s an enormous and devastating hurdle to overcome for the prosperity and economic future for 1.5 billion people. Almost one fifth of the world population. It’s almost criminal in my
eyes to keep ignoring this issue.
The only barricade in front of us?? People who are scared of the future. I don’t want to get too much into the religious factor into this, but it can’t be ignored. Some people claim that by doing gene editing, humans are playing God. I argue that God gave humans the intelligence to make the world a better place. If God didn’t want us to be able to save almost a million lives per year by developing this technology, we simply wouldn’t have this ability. Jesus had two very important messages: feed the poor and care for the sick. Saving the lives of almost one million people, per year, seems like something God would be okay with. I say this with my opinion. Everyone can reach their own conclusions. This is one of the best parts of humanity, thinking for ourselves.
Thank you for your time reading this and consideration. I implore you, please do your own research. I’ll suggest watching the series on Netflix, Un-natural selection as a starting point.
Warmest regards,
Froni
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