http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/health/what-is-zika-virus.html?version=meter+at+0&module=meter-Links&pgtype=article&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dzika%2520outbreak%2520vietnam%26qs%3Dn%26form%3DQBRE%26pq%3Dzika%2520outbreak%2520vietnam%26sc%3D0-21%26sp%3D-1%26sk%3D%26ghc%3D1%26cvid%3DF69A130970584601B87ECB1895CD2808&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=meter-links-click --for the following--
range in Americas of main zika-carrying mosquitoe:
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zika before 2007; then zika 2007-14 hitting French Polynesia & causing for first time microencephaly (small head in babies); then zika 2015-6 Fiji to Brazil:
Pakistan
Nigeria
Costa Rica
Uganda
Indonesia
2007-2014
Yap (Micronesia)
Thailand
Gabon
French Polynesia
Brazil
Maldives
Fiji
How Zika Spread
Around the World
Pakistan
Nigeria
Before 2007
Costa Rica
Uganda
Indonesia
2007-2014
Thailand
Yap (Micronesia)
Gabon
Easter Island
2015-2016
Cape
Verde
Mexico
Fiji
Brazil
Maldives
How Zika Spread
Around the World
Before 2007
Uganda
2007-2014
Gabon
Yap (Micronesia)
2015-2016
Brazil
Fiji
Maldives
By Jasmine Lee | Source: World Health Organization
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1-10-11 William Black, a collaborator on the Gates project connected with Oxitec, was impressed by the results; the Cayman Islands trial “went very, very well,” he says. David M. Brown, project manager at the department of microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of California, Irvine, agrees that the results enjoyed a very positive reception at the meeting. “There were [even] a few comments of gratitude,” he says, as the Cayman Islands trial is an important step in pushing GM insect technology against dengue fever forward. http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v29/n1/full/nbt0111-9a.html
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2-12-14 Oxitec’s notification for the export of GM mosquito eggs to Panama contains no risk assessment for its planned experiments, despite this being a requirement under EU law. GeneWatch UK warned that the Panamanian authorities or the Gorgas Institute could be liable if anything goes wrong with the experiments, as they have failed to require the company to assess the risks.
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(AP) Enter Oxitec, a British biotech firm launched by Oxford University researchers. They patented a method of breeding Aedes aegypti with fragments of proteins from the herpes simplex virus and E. coli bacteria as well as genes from coral and cabbage. (same article published by CBS news, same day) http://www.foxnews.com/science/2015/01/26/fda-could-set-millions-genetically-modified-mosquitos-loose-in-florida-keys.html
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4-21-15 (NaturalNews) Field trials in Bentong, a town in the state of Pahang, Malaysia, were conducted to determine if Oxitec GM mosquitoes could help keep dengue at bay, with a final determination that such an attempt does not yield any benefits. In fact, the risks were found to be so great that the plan was halted altogether; health officials expressed strong disinterest in pursuing the GM mosquito project after they found that these trials would ultimately be ineffective.(1)
Releasing male GM Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into the wild with the hopes that they would mate and produce offspring that would die before adulthood -- and therefore prevent the spread of dengue -- were found to carry risks on health, financial and environmental levels.
Dr. Lee Han Lim of the Medical Entomology Unit and WHO Collaborating Centre for Vectors at the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) said that the detailed studies on this controversial topic confirmed that GM Aedes aegypti is unable to fight dengue; their ability to halt transmissible disease was not altered, nor was their biology, mating competitiveness or overall behavior. That's right -- no beneficial changes whatsoever were identified from this process!(1)
"We did not proceed further after the initial study," said the country's health director-general Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. He suggested that it simply wouldn't be a wise financial move to implement on a larger, ongoing scale since the initial field trials didn't prove to be effective.(1)
http://www.naturalnews.com/049426_GM_mosquitoes_dengue_fever_Oxitec.html#ixzz49W9Dp8fL
Releasing male GM Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into the wild with the hopes that they would mate and produce offspring that would die before adulthood -- and therefore prevent the spread of dengue -- were found to carry risks on health, financial and environmental levels.
Dr. Lee Han Lim of the Medical Entomology Unit and WHO Collaborating Centre for Vectors at the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) said that the detailed studies on this controversial topic confirmed that GM Aedes aegypti is unable to fight dengue; their ability to halt transmissible disease was not altered, nor was their biology, mating competitiveness or overall behavior. That's right -- no beneficial changes whatsoever were identified from this process!(1)
"We did not proceed further after the initial study," said the country's health director-general Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. He suggested that it simply wouldn't be a wise financial move to implement on a larger, ongoing scale since the initial field trials didn't prove to be effective.(1)
http://www.naturalnews.com/049426_GM_mosquitoes_dengue_fever_Oxitec.html#ixzz49W9Dp8fL
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2-23-16 Intrexon's (XON +1.3%) Oxitec subsidiary's plans to sell its genetically modified sterile male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Brazil, ground zero for the Zika outbreak, took a major hit when non-profit Moscamed announced that it intends to use a cobalt-60 irradiator to sterilize as many as 12M male mosquitoes a week for release into the wild, initially in a dozen towns near Juazeiro in the northeastern region of the country. Moscamed is the facility that has been evaluating Intrexon's genetically engineered variety.
Irradiation, while not as elegant as Intrexon's OX513A bugs, is potentially more economical, costing ~$400/1M insects. Some analysts believe that OX513A represents an earnings growth driver for company, but this seems less likely if irradiation does the trick. http://seekingalpha.com/news/3129616-intrexons-oxitec-competition-zika-fight-brazil-plans-use-irradiation-method
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4-6-16 In a recent paper, WHO researcher Mary Kay Kindhauser wrote that Zika "appears to have changed in character," noting its transition from a mild infection to one causing "large outbreaks linked with neurological disorders." http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-nerves-insight-idUSKCN0X22TP
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4-28-16 Spotlight's first report is titled 'Intrexon: The Public Markets' Theranos Part 1 - Zika Virus Hype Is Nonsensical'.
In the report, Spotlight states that Intrexon's (Intrexon acquired Oxitec in Aug. 2015) technology has been questioned by high-ranking officials from the World Health Organisation, the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Institutes of Health. It adds, "Smart money is hitting the 'eject' button and leaving retail investors holding the bag."
According to the report:
Spotlight says that this "self-proclaimed 'Google of life sciences' technology platform is an overhyped, undifferentiated collection of commodity and failed products".
It adds that the company "employs lots of fancy jargon to explain their core technologies" - but "we examined each closely and we found nothing more than a collection of products that anyone can (and does) use themselves smashed together with failed science experiments from years ago".
Thus, while Intrexon "can pursue as many clinical trials utilizing their commoditized technology as they like to keep the dream alive, such trials in our view are extremely unlikely to result in valuable commercial products in the future. And without a real prospect of commercialized products, there can be no meaningful equity value."
The report adds, "Intrexon has been around for more than 17 years and commercialized effectively zero meaningful commercial products using their own technology. Their technology is a 'secret'. Nobody can explain exactly what they do ... The company is only able to generate revenue through related party transactions and selling livestock. The fair value of this company is minuscule compared to its current market cap of ~$4.5 billion."
Spotlight says that if Oxitec's GM mosquitoes, which are engineered to be sterile, were shown to effectively combat the Zika virus, that could be a "game-changer" for Intrexon - but "we think that it clearly is not." Oxitec has spent a decade fighting dengue fever and malaria, two far more serious diseases than Zika, with its technology, but "wasn't able to generate any meaningful amount of revenues... why should Zika be any different?"
The report points out that "Oxitec has never actually measured the impact of dengue fever on its GM mosquito releases in any country, despite a scientific consensus that such measurements would be necessary to determine whether the technology was effective."
What's more, Spotlight says, there is some evidence to suggest that Oxitec's GM mosquitoes actually make things worse rather than better: "A village in Brazil where the mosquitoes were being tested showed an increase in dengue fever cases."
In an apparent comment on the potential for Intrexon to capitalize on the fear that's been generated around the Zika virus, Spotlight says that the company is not allowing the facts to get in the way of a good story, "particularly when it involves scaring consumers / retail investors into buying up Intrexon stock".
Oxitec's GM mosquitoes are just one of a number of risky GMO products that have been acquired by Intrexon. The company also owns Okanagan Specialty Fruits, developer of the GMO Arctic apple. Growers are reportedly shunning it in order to avoid the GMO stigma.
Intrexon also owns the majority share of AquaBounty, the developer of GMO salmon. Commercialization of the salmon has stalled, pending the US FDA issuing labelling guidelines. Even if the GMO fish does make it onto the market, some retailers have said they won't stock it.
In a statement released last Friday, Intrexon called the Spotlight report "materially false and misleading" and said it appears to be part of a hedge fund campaign to manipulate the company's stock, damage the reputation of the company and its CEO, and benefit from the consequent trading activity. It also said that it had sought the advice of lawyers and was taking "appropriate steps".
In the midst of the row, Intrexon CEO Randal Kirk was named by Wired magazine as one of "25 geniuses who are creating the future of business". Kirk told Wired, "Analysts don't understand our company." http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/2987628/analysts_slate_gm_mosquito_firm_shares_plummet.html
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5-8-16 This isn't the first GM insect that Oxitec has tried to release into the environment; in 2013, the company was forced to withdraw plans to release GM olive and fruit flies in Spain, in the wake of human and environmental health questions from government regulators.
The plan was to release large numbers of GM olive flies to mate with wild ones, with the female offspring of the GM flies being genetically engineered to die at the maggot stage. This would have meant that, after the female laid her eggs inside the olives, the maggots would die while still inside the olives – and that would have had a huge impact on the food chain. The plan generated human and animal health concerns around the potential consumption of olives containing dead GM maggots.
Then, in 2015, Oxitec released GM moths in New York, sparking outrage among citizens, organic farmers and environmental groups. According to Canada's Global Research, the diamondback moth is an agricultural nuisance, damaging thousands of acres of crops and costing farmers more than $1 billion annually.
Oxitec released GM moths without paying any attention to public concern, setting a precedent for working with the FDA to ignore public opinion and push ahead with their planned outdoor experiments. The latest investigation into the company's GM mosquitoes shows that the company definitely lacks in-depth research and risk assessment around the potential impacts of these GM insects. http://www.naturalnews.com/053933_Oxitec_GM_mosquitoes_US_securities_laws.html#ixzz49WDi8kC6
In the report, Spotlight states that Intrexon's (Intrexon acquired Oxitec in Aug. 2015) technology has been questioned by high-ranking officials from the World Health Organisation, the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Institutes of Health. It adds, "Smart money is hitting the 'eject' button and leaving retail investors holding the bag."
According to the report:
- Intrexon's long-time chief operations officer has abruptly left the company in advance of what are hyped as great opportunities;
- Intrexon has overstated its revenues by 50% by "round-tripping" its own cash through related "shell companies";
- These related companies are almost exclusively "failed" or "shady" enterprises; blue chip companies have steered clear;
- Even the related company transactions may be overstated;
- Intrexon's biofuels interests are likely to fail: the head of the company's biofuels division "has worked at three failed biofuel startups in a row".
Spotlight says that this "self-proclaimed 'Google of life sciences' technology platform is an overhyped, undifferentiated collection of commodity and failed products".
It adds that the company "employs lots of fancy jargon to explain their core technologies" - but "we examined each closely and we found nothing more than a collection of products that anyone can (and does) use themselves smashed together with failed science experiments from years ago".
Thus, while Intrexon "can pursue as many clinical trials utilizing their commoditized technology as they like to keep the dream alive, such trials in our view are extremely unlikely to result in valuable commercial products in the future. And without a real prospect of commercialized products, there can be no meaningful equity value."
The report adds, "Intrexon has been around for more than 17 years and commercialized effectively zero meaningful commercial products using their own technology. Their technology is a 'secret'. Nobody can explain exactly what they do ... The company is only able to generate revenue through related party transactions and selling livestock. The fair value of this company is minuscule compared to its current market cap of ~$4.5 billion."
Spotlight says that if Oxitec's GM mosquitoes, which are engineered to be sterile, were shown to effectively combat the Zika virus, that could be a "game-changer" for Intrexon - but "we think that it clearly is not." Oxitec has spent a decade fighting dengue fever and malaria, two far more serious diseases than Zika, with its technology, but "wasn't able to generate any meaningful amount of revenues... why should Zika be any different?"
The report points out that "Oxitec has never actually measured the impact of dengue fever on its GM mosquito releases in any country, despite a scientific consensus that such measurements would be necessary to determine whether the technology was effective."
What's more, Spotlight says, there is some evidence to suggest that Oxitec's GM mosquitoes actually make things worse rather than better: "A village in Brazil where the mosquitoes were being tested showed an increase in dengue fever cases."
In an apparent comment on the potential for Intrexon to capitalize on the fear that's been generated around the Zika virus, Spotlight says that the company is not allowing the facts to get in the way of a good story, "particularly when it involves scaring consumers / retail investors into buying up Intrexon stock".
Oxitec's GM mosquitoes are just one of a number of risky GMO products that have been acquired by Intrexon. The company also owns Okanagan Specialty Fruits, developer of the GMO Arctic apple. Growers are reportedly shunning it in order to avoid the GMO stigma.
Intrexon also owns the majority share of AquaBounty, the developer of GMO salmon. Commercialization of the salmon has stalled, pending the US FDA issuing labelling guidelines. Even if the GMO fish does make it onto the market, some retailers have said they won't stock it.
In a statement released last Friday, Intrexon called the Spotlight report "materially false and misleading" and said it appears to be part of a hedge fund campaign to manipulate the company's stock, damage the reputation of the company and its CEO, and benefit from the consequent trading activity. It also said that it had sought the advice of lawyers and was taking "appropriate steps".
In the midst of the row, Intrexon CEO Randal Kirk was named by Wired magazine as one of "25 geniuses who are creating the future of business". Kirk told Wired, "Analysts don't understand our company." http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/2987628/analysts_slate_gm_mosquito_firm_shares_plummet.html
.........................................................................................................................................
5-8-16 This isn't the first GM insect that Oxitec has tried to release into the environment; in 2013, the company was forced to withdraw plans to release GM olive and fruit flies in Spain, in the wake of human and environmental health questions from government regulators.
The plan was to release large numbers of GM olive flies to mate with wild ones, with the female offspring of the GM flies being genetically engineered to die at the maggot stage. This would have meant that, after the female laid her eggs inside the olives, the maggots would die while still inside the olives – and that would have had a huge impact on the food chain. The plan generated human and animal health concerns around the potential consumption of olives containing dead GM maggots.
Then, in 2015, Oxitec released GM moths in New York, sparking outrage among citizens, organic farmers and environmental groups. According to Canada's Global Research, the diamondback moth is an agricultural nuisance, damaging thousands of acres of crops and costing farmers more than $1 billion annually.
Oxitec released GM moths without paying any attention to public concern, setting a precedent for working with the FDA to ignore public opinion and push ahead with their planned outdoor experiments. The latest investigation into the company's GM mosquitoes shows that the company definitely lacks in-depth research and risk assessment around the potential impacts of these GM insects. http://www.naturalnews.com/053933_Oxitec_GM_mosquitoes_US_securities_laws.html#ixzz49WDi8kC6
...........................................................................................................................................................
5-23-16 (Oxitec spokesman) Creese says Oxitec has now released 70 million of its mosquitoes in several countries and received no reports of human impacts caused by bites or from the synthetic DNA, despite regulatory oversight that encourages people to report any problems. "We are confident of the safety of our mosquito, as there's no mechanism for any adverse effect on human health. The proteins are non-toxic and non-allergenic," she said.
Oxitec should still do more to show that the synthetic DNA causes no harm when transferred into humans by its mosquitoes, said Guy Reeves, a molecular geneticist at Germany's Max Planck Institute. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-gmo-mosquitoes-florida-keys-20150125-story.html
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5-23-16 (Oxitec spokesman) Creese says Oxitec has now released 70 million of its mosquitoes in several countries and received no reports of human impacts caused by bites or from the synthetic DNA, despite regulatory oversight that encourages people to report any problems. "We are confident of the safety of our mosquito, as there's no mechanism for any adverse effect on human health. The proteins are non-toxic and non-allergenic," she said.
Oxitec should still do more to show that the synthetic DNA causes no harm when transferred into humans by its mosquitoes, said Guy Reeves, a molecular geneticist at Germany's Max Planck Institute. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-gmo-mosquitoes-florida-keys-20150125-story.html
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