Genetically Modified (GM) Mosquito Use to Reduce Mosquito-Transmitted Disease in the US: A Community Opinion Survey

Conclusion We present the first community-based survey of resident attitudes towards GMO mosquitoes in a region of a U.S. state in which Aedes-associated infectious disease risks are extant. Gender and individual risk-perception were found to be highly predictive of support or opposition to GM mosquito use. These findings may help public health practitioners and policymakers to improve communication and dialogue with the public around potential use of GM mosquitoes in the future, which may be increasingly important as new mosquito-borne threats such as Zika emerge. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Data Availability Statement A link to the survey data can be found here: http://www.upmchealthsecurity.org/our-work/pubs_archive/pubs-pdfs/2016/GM%20Mosquito%20Data.pdf Appendix: Key Haven Mosquito Control Opinion Survey 1) Your Participant ID is: ___________ 2) What is your Gender (choose 1 of the following choices)? • Male • Female • Other 3) Do you live in Key Haven permanently, seasonally, or are you just visiting (choose 1)? • Year round permanent resident (this is my primary residence year round) • Seasonal resident (I live here less than year round or this is not my primary residence) • Visitor (I don’t live here, I’m just visiting) 4) If you live in Key Haven year round or seasonally, do you own or rent the property in which you reside on Key Haven (choose 1)? ...
Source: PLOS Currents Outbreaks - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Source Type: research