Djibouti releases genetically modified mosquitoes by Oxitec to combat malaria, a first in East Africa and second on the continent.

Djibouti has released genetically modified mosquitoes developed by UK-based company Oxitec to fight malaria. The Anopheles mosquitoes carry a gene that kills female offspring before they reach maturity, as only female mosquitoes bite and transmit malaria. This marks the first time such mosquitoes have been released in East Africa and only the second time on the African continent. Over 1 billion mosquitoes have been released globally since 2019, with successful results in Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Panama, and India.