Will the incidence of locally-acquired cases of Dengue fever drop in Florida after the release of genetically modified mosquitoes?
Market Rules
In Florida, the only disease that is locally transmitted today by A. aegypti (the mosquito that transmits Dengue fever, Zika, Chikungunya, and Yellow fever) is Dengue Fever. But that might change soon, as Oxitec (a British company that operates in the US) got the authorization from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys.
The modified strain intends to ultimately eradicate the Aedes aegypti population - which is not naturally-occurring in Florida, but invaded the region during colonization times, due to the arrival of slave ships - by blocking the development of female mosquitoes.
The Oxitec mosquitoes will be released over two years, beginning in 2021. If by the end of that period Florida registers a decrease or absence of locally-acquired Dengue Fever in comparison to the numbers from before the Oxitec mosquitoes were introduced in the environment, this market will be resolved as "Yes".