Despite significant public health advances in recent decades, mosquito-borne illnesses remain one of the leading causes of illness and death around the world today. Even here in Australia, diseases like Dengue fever, Yellow fever, and West Nile virus represent significant public health concerns that will only worsen with climate change.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is responsible for registering a number of products that help protect Australians from the risks posed by mosquito-borne illness. Currently we do this through authorisation of traditional insecticides and larvicides that help manage mosquito populations; however, we are actively monitoring advances in emerging mosquito control technologies.
The APVMA is aware of public discussion regarding the use of genetically modified mosquitoes for control of mosquito populations to manage mosquito-borne illnesses.
Genetically modified mosquitoes
Genetically modified mosquitoes introduce male mosquitoes, which do not bite humans, into wild populations to mate with females that are already present in the geographic area.
The male mosquitos pass along the trait, which prevents female offspring from surviving, resulting in population decline.
Since male mosquitos don’t bite, the trait can’t be transmitted to humans. And since the modification only affects the target species (i.e., Aedes aegypti mosquitos), potential risks to other insects or animal species are claimed to be minimal.
APVMA requirements
The APVMA legislation defines agricultural chemicals such that genetically modified mosquito technologies meet the definition on the basis that they modify the physiology of a pest (the mosquito) in a manner that affects its natural development and reproductive capacity.
The APVMA rigorously assesses all applications to register agricultural and veterinary chemical products before they enter the Australian market.
Upon receiving an application, the APVMA reviews available information to ensure that these technologies:
- are safe and effective
- will not impact Australia’s trade relations.
The APVMA has not yet received an application to register genetically modified mosquitoes.
The APVMA publishes the details of registration applications on our website once the application is accepted for assessment. We update this page daily.
Other regulatory requirements
Emerging technologies may be subject to other legislation in Australia, including the Gene Technology Act 2000 and the Biosecurity Act 2015, which are administered by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) and the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) respectively. Further details on the roles and functions of DAFF and the OGTR are available on their websites.