OGTR Opens Public Comment Period for Oxitec’s Friendly™ Mosquitoes in Australia
NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT
OGTR Opens Public Comment Period for Oxitec’s Friendly™ Mosquitoes in Australia
The official process is underway to enable Oxitec’s non-biting male Friendly™ Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to support mosquito control in Australian communities threatened by the invasive dengue mosquito, Aedes aegypti.
Australia’s Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has announced the opening of a public comment period for Oxitec Australia’s biosafety application to make Friendly™ Aedes aegypti mosquitoes available to communities in Queensland. The comment period gives the public an opportunity to provide opinion on the application. This can be done via the OGTR website, which can be accessed here.
Aedes aegypti is the primary carrier of dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever viruses. Its invasive nature and adaptation to human-made habitats make it particularly difficult to control with conventional tools, while posing a growing public health threat. Aedes aegypti is an invasive species to Australia, introduced over 130 years ago, and in Queensland and the Torres Strait it is a major vector for dengue and other diseases.
Oxitec Friendly™ Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have been determined to pose no threat to humans or the environment by multiple regulatory agencies, including both the EPA and the FDA in the US, as well as in Brazil where we have conducted numerous successful field demonstrations. In Brazil the Friendly™ Aedes aegypti mosquito – targeting the world’s most important dengue-spreading mosquito – is now commercially approved and serving communities, city governments and businesses nationwide.
Learn more at oxitecaustralia.co
About Oxitec Australia
Oxitec Australia is a venture between CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and Oxitec, the leading developer of biological solutions targeting pest threats to human health and food security, formed to bring novel biosecurity solutions to some of the biggest pest challenges impacting Australia and wider Oceania. This partnership combines CSIRO’s scientific leadership and Oxitec’s proven technology platform and expertise in developing and commercializing next-generation biological solutions to combat critical pest threats.
About Oxitec
Oxitec is the world’s leader in sustainable biological solutions to the world’s largest pest threats for human health and food security. The first to market and first to achieve successful commercialization of targeted, self-limiting species-specific pest solutions, Oxitec is now leveraging its global platform to advance diversified solutions to critical public health and food security challenges around the world. Driven by a team comprised of 15 nationalities and with strong partners, collaborators and distributors in multiple countries and markets, Oxitec is leading the global transition to sustainable pest management.
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