Description
Malaria remains a major public health problem in Mali. It is the leading cause of death, especially among children and pregnant women. Despite several ongoing interventions against the disease, malaria remains a major public health problem in Mali. Malaria control has become difficult because of the resistance of Plasmodium to antimalarials and mosquitoes to insecticides. Prevention, through vector control, remains an important component of the fight against malaria. The use of genetically modified mosquitoes as a vector control strategy is receiving increasing attention from scientists and policymakers. Mali is a potential site for field trials of genetically modified mosquitoes. We conducted a qualitative study (stakeholder interviews complemented by observation and literature search) on how 'gene drive technology' is perceived and interpreted in practice by those who develop genetically controlled mosquitoes for malaria eradication. Participants in this study included Mali-based researchers who planned to undertake the first field trials of genetically forced mosquitoes for malaria control, other genomics researchers, policymakers, ethics committee members, religious leaders, local communities, and health workers. We have identified ten frameworks of gene drive technology mobilized by Malian researchers and actors. Although key actors are explicitly committed to the principle of co-development, it is unclear how this is framed and practiced in Africa.
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