Department of Health in the State of Massachusetts, USA announced The first case of a person infected with Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE) in mid-August this year. In late August, the neighboring state of New Hampshire reported the first death of an infected person in 2024.
EEE is transmitted by certain types of mosquitoes and, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease is fatal in 30% of cases. Many survivors are spared neurological problems. There is currently no vaccine or drug available.
So are many US states now Action taken To reduce the risk of mosquito bites, use temporary and local lockdowns and insecticides to control mosquito populations.
Claim: On social media, many users are making a connection between the current cases of EEE in the US and the release of genetically modified mosquitoes bred by the company Oxitec, which is sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others (here, here, here And here).
One X user comments: “What’s up with Bill Gates and his mosquito farm? EEE virus has increased in humans, especially in the New England area! well i mean BG has a fkn mosquito farm in madalin colombia so yeah they got out?”
On Facebook, someone writes: “EEE is spread by mosquitoes. Bill Gates has invested in GMO mosquitoes. What are the odds against a sudden epidemic of EEE in the US before the next presidential election?”
So does billionaire Bill Gates have anything to do with EEE?
DW: wrong
Mosquitoes are one of the most dangerous insects in the world. Females—only they bite—can transmit a variety of pathogens, including viruses and parasites. Every year More than 700,000 people die worldwide from mosquito-borne diseases.
To combat this public health problem, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The company is supporting Oxitec, among others, which is experimenting with genetically modified mosquitoes. In 2020, the biotech company officially Permission granted To release laboratory-species mosquitoes, however, they must be geographically limited to Florida. The aim is to reduce the pest population.
“Male mosquitoes will be genetically modified to be sterile so that when a female mates with a sterile male, there are no viable offspring. It reduces mosquito populations over time, and has been used successfully in Brazil,” said Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.
Such research methods have been studied for some time and have also been used in other sterile animals, such as irradiated worms in agriculture.
Only female mosquitoes transmit EEE
Oxitec confirmed to DW that no genetically modified mosquitoes have been released into Massachusetts. The last release occurred in Florida in November 2023, which means that the genetically modified mosquito can hardly be related in terms of space and time to the current EEE outbreak. And since the animals are male and don’t bite, they can’t transmit EEE anyway.
The virus existed long before the use of genetically modified mosquitoes. “We’ve known about it for 90 years. So this is not a new virus. And it’s a mosquito-borne virus. It’s endemic to our region and occasionally when the right conditions are met, we’ll see outbreaks from time to time. The Center for Vector Biology and Dr. Philip M. Armstrong, Scientific Director of Zoonotic Disease, explained.
“It’s been a reasonably wet, warm summer, which has created ideal conditions for mosquito breeding,” he added. “Especially the mosquitoes that transmit the triple E virus, which live in these freshwater swamp habitats in our region.”
Bill Gates is a frequent target of conspiracy theories
Bill Gates is often the target of misinformation and conspiracy myths. For example, social media users also suspected that genetically modified Oxitec mosquitoes were behind it. Dengue outbreak in Brazil Malaria cases in the US at the beginning of the year and in 2023.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Microsoft founder was accused of secretly having implants Microchips with the Covid-19 vaccine. And fake news circulated in India that he was on trial for illegally testing vaccines on children.
Gates, one of the richest people in the world, founded it along with his ex-wife Melinda Gates. It is the largest private foundation in the world. Since its founding in 2017, it has invested billions of euros worldwide in thousands of projects and organizations in the healthcare sector, including vaccination programs and vaccine research.
Gates’ very real influence on global health care is one of the things that makes many skeptical and fuels misinformation. The billionaire is a target for conspiracy legends surrounding him. There is a deep suspicion of the upper class of society A characteristic feature Such descriptions.
This article was originally written in German.
Post Fact Check: Bill Gates Linked to US Encephalitis Outbreak? appeared first German wave.