I'm going to write this article somewhat differently than I write most -- for several reasons.
Rather than intersperse facts, claims, and opinions of others with my takes, I'm first going to write in the classic "Five Ws" style — the who, what, when, where, and why — of journalism.
Second, I'll make some points, raise some questions, and add an opinion or two of my own.
The reason is clear. As we learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ultracrepidarians on both sides of the issue presented uninformed opinions as facts — many continue to so — on everything from the origin of the virus to lockdowns to the so-called "vaccinations." I won't do that here for one simple reason: I'm not a scientist and am therefore unqualified to pontificate or make definitive statements on most of what you're about to read.
So let's get after it.
Researchers working at a Bill Gates-backed medical center in the Netherlands have transformed mosquitoes into flying syringes. According to a study published in late November in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists reportedly have developed an effective way of using mosquitoes to deliver at least some protection against malaria — in human test subjects.
Here's more:
Concerned about the short-lived and marginally effective nature of the malaria vaccines currently approved by the World Health Organization, Dutch researchers at the LUMC similarly turned to genetically modified parasites and mosquito carriers as a potential alternative.
In an earlier trial, the researchers tested the effectiveness of GA1, a malaria parasite genetically modified to stop developing after roughly 24 hours of infection in humans, but found that it only provided low protective efficacy against malaria. Hoping for a better outcome, the researchers crafted another parasite, GA2, to stop developing around six days following invasion in preclinical humanized mouse models.
The Bill Gates-backed Gavi, also known as the Vaccine Alliance, noted that "because the parasite dies before it infects the blood cells and evolves into its deadly phase, it instead acts as a way of priming the immune system, as a vaccination usually would."
Afforded a test group of 43 adults between the ages of 19 and 35 who previously had no record of malaria infection, the researchers subjected subjects to 50 bites from GA2-infected mosquitoes, 50 bites from GA1-infected mosquitoes, or 50 bites from uninfected mosquitoes (placebo), in three vaccination sessions at 28-day intervals. Three weeks following their third devouring by mosquitoes, the human test subjects underwent malaria infection with five bites from infected mosquitoes.
According to Julius Hafalla, an immunologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Dutch researchers now seek to replicate their results in a larger human trial.
These findings represent a significant step forward in malaria vaccine development. The ongoing global malaria burden makes the development of more effective vaccines a critical priority.
Gates, who took issue in a January 2021 MSNBC interview with content encouraging "people not to trust the advice on masks or taking the vaccine," has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into malaria vaccine research.
The billionaire noted on his blog in August:
Malaria is caused by a remarkably adaptable parasite that's constantly changing and developing resistance to our drugs and interventions. Fighting it is like playing a global game of high-stakes whack-a-mole: Just when we think we've got it under control, it pops up somewhere else or in a new form.
Gates added: "One of our biggest challenges isn't scientific; it's financial and political."
Scientists and the Notion of Turning Mosquitoes Into 'Flying Vaccinators'
While the idea reads like a subplot from a dystopian movie, scientists began modifying mosquito saliva in 2010 or earlier.
Shigeto Yoshida, the lead researcher on a 2010 study that modified mosquitoes' saliva such that they would deliver leishmania vaccines to mice when sucking their blood, noted that vaccination by insect was "just like a conventional vaccination but with no pain and no cost."
"What's more, continuous exposure to bites will maintain high levels of protective immunity, through natural boosting, for a lifetime. So the insect shifts from being a pest to being beneficial," added Yoshida.
Despite the Japanese geneticist's optimism, his study acknowledged that "medical safety issues and concerns about informed consent mitigate the use of the 'flying vaccinator' as a method to deliver vaccines."
Robert Sinden, professor emeritus of parasite cell biology at Imperial College London, told Science at the time that in addition to vaccinating people without their informed consent, no regulatory agency would sign off on the initiative.
So there we have it.
Now let's get after a few salient points, raise some questions, and perhaps an opinion or two of my own.
When I decided to write this article, two words immediately popped into my mind: COVID vaccines. My second thought was about the massive amount of distrust among the American people, much it justifiably so, not only about all things COVID-related, but also about all things federal government — with an increasing distrust in pharmaceuticals and Big Pharma.
ALSO READ:
Fauci's Final Fail? New Paper Filled With Errors, Debunked Conspiracy Theories
Where does this leave us?
Stuck somewhere in middle, I suppose, between good medicine and medical procedures, and bad medicine and bad medical procedures. As a result, it seems to me that the smartest approach in this area and others is to avoid the "condemnation without investigation" trap. No, not all "conspiracy theories" were proven to be facts, and no, not all science was proved to be infallible — far from it.
The Bottom Line
Finally, there are ominous potentials for misuse here, as has been the case throughout history.
Research results and inventions have been converted to use by evil people with evil intentions. The thought of Communist China or Mideast terrorists using swarms of mosquitoes as "flying syringes" against those they seek to destroy is beyond terrifying.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member