According to a report in the Jamaica Gleaner, the Cayman Islands is to introduce genetically engineered mosquitoes to reduce the insect population in the fight against vector-borne diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika virus.

Premier Alden McLaughlin in an address to the Legislative Assembly yesterday, said the non-biting genetically engineered male mosquito will breed with female Aedes Aaegypti mosquitoes, which carry and transmit the diseases.

McLaughlin said the offspring will inherit a gene which will cause them to die before reaching adulthood, ensuring that they do not reproduce.

According to McLaughlin, the programme arose out of a partnership between Cayman’s Mosquito Research and Control Unit and the United Kingdom-based biotechnology company Oxitec, the Gleaner reported.