Houston officials are eyeing the release of genetically modified mosquitoes to combat the possible spread of Zika virus.
The report said officials of Harris County, Texas, are discussing plans with Oxitec, a British biotech company, to release genetically modified mosquitoes that will not reach adulthood.
The plan, according to Mustapha Debboun, director of the Harris County Mosquito Control Division, is to have the tool to fight not only Zika but also other mosquito-borne diseases.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the carrier of Zika virus, dengue fever, and chikungunya, are common in Houston area.
There is no reported local transmission of Zika in Houston. Texas had homegrown Zika cases only in Cameron County, on the border with Mexico.
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