( CNN ) -- The Aedes Aegypti mosquito is just two to three millimeters long but its impact is devastating . Of the thousands of mosquito species , this one bears primary responsibility for one of the world 's deadliest and fastest growing diseases . In the past 50 years , incidence of Dengue Fever has multiplied by 30 according to the WHO , spreading from nine countries in 1970 to over 100 today . There is no vaccine or cure for the painful virus known as Breakbone Fever , and of the 50-100 million people infected each year , over 20,000 die . Aedes Aegypti has spread with this epidemic , and has become the target of efforts to control the disease . But while solutions such as mass spraying of toxic chemicals have proved expensive , ineffective and environmentally damaging , scientists hope to use the insect as the agent of its own destruction . British biotech firm Oxitec is tackling the problem through pioneering genetic modification ( GM ) of the Aedes Aegypti . Scientists breed large numbers of the insects in laboratories and inject the sperm cells of males with a lethal gene . When the mosquito is released into the wild and mates with a female -- always of the same species - the deadly transgene is passed on and the offspring dies . Oxitec report successes from their Release of Insects with Dominant Lethality ( RIDL ) programme trials in Malaysia , the Cayman Islands and Brazil , claiming a 96 % suppression rate in the latter case . This has proved enough for the Brazilian government to announce this year the first commercial release of GM mosquitoes into the wild . The treated insects are awaiting approval in the US . Oxitec CSO Dr. Luke Alphey claims the techniques the company has been refining since 2009 offers a high degree of control . `` In the target area we could suppress the population even to zero levels , '' he says . `` It works . The engineered males can court and mate wild females and we can suppress the target populations as we demonstrated in the Cayman Islands and in Brazil . To a huge level , enough suppression to prevent epidemic dengue . '' Alphey believes the concept could be applied at scale . `` I hope that it will become a major part of control of major pest insects . If we could reduce , even in some countries , the burden of diseases like dengue ... that would be fantastic . We 're just at the dawn of genetic control . '' This approach is being widely adopted . Researchers at the University of California , Irvine have pioneered a method that renders mosquito offspring unable to fly , making them harmless . At Imperial College London , a team have suppressed malaria in trials by modifying mosquitoes to only give birth to males , which do not bite and can not transmit the disease . Dr. Nikolai Windbichler , co-author of the latter study , uses a mousetrap analogy to illustrate the guarantee offered by genetic transfer . `` Even if one of every 10,000 mosquitoes would not function ... it would not prevent the technology from suppressing populations . If you put up 20 mousetraps and one is not working , the remaining 19 would still be able to do the job . '' The path of modifying mosquitoes has many supporters in the medical community . `` Scientists have made a lot of progress and there are many exciting projects '' , says Dr. James Logan of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine . `` If we can identify a single species which transmits a disease like the Aedes Aegypti and dengue fever , ( genetic modification ) can have an impact . It 's less achievable for malaria , which is transmitted by many species . '' Although there are still questions to answer , Logan wants to see expansion . `` We need more field trials to show the impact on disease transmission ... I believe we need to push ahead , because the thing about mosquitoes with dengue fever and malaria in the wild is that they are always a step ahead , developing resistance , and we need new forms of novel intervention . '' But critics believe that implementation of GM mosquitoes is happening too fast without enough understanding of the impact . Genewatch UK is demanding a public consultation in Brazil before the insects are released in the wild . `` Oxitec have omitted or failed to publish important information needed to make a decision '' , says Dr. Helen Wallace director of Genewatch UK . `` The reduction figures from their trials can not be verified and they have not proved a positive impact on disease . One problem is that if you reduce numbers of one mosquito species , another may increase . `` Many experts think that suppressing a wild population that is so mobile will not work and may cause actual harm , no one knows for sure but it is certainly irresponsible not to consider the risk . '' Despite such concerns , the trend toward modification of insects for disease control is gathering pace as other solutions fail and regulators are favorable . Worms , flies and moths are also being targeted and 'weaponized ' against their species . As this new battle commences , the stakes could hardly be higher . Read more from Make , Create , Innovate : . This 'Star Trek'-style molecular sensor reads your food . Spider lessons : How to mend your body with silk . The artificial leaf that could power the world .
Biotech ##nology ##tech is tackling Yellow Fever with genetically modified mosquitos . When the modified male mosquito mates with a female , a deadly virus is passed on and the offspring die . 50 - 100 million are infected with Dengue Fever each year .