Thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes are set to be released in a village in Burkina Faso.
It is part of a project aimed at wiping out the malaria-carrying insects.
It will be the first time genetically engineered mosquitoes have been released in any African country.
These insects will not stop malaria, but will help teams prepare for a later release of mosquitoes engineered to spread infertility.
Scientist previously released and tracked ‘painted mosquitoes’ so they could learn more about their movements and habits.
Malaria killed around 445,000 people around the world in 2016.
But some people worry about the impact of GM insects in the wild. However the GM mosquitoes will only be released when scientists are confident the technology is not only effective, but also safe.
TECHNOLOGY
The technology being used is the Gene Drive. This will allow scientists to spread a genetic modification through a whole mosquito population in order to reduce malaria transmission.
