Welcome to Public Health On Call, a podcast from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,

where we bring evidence, experience, and perspective to make sense of today's leading health challenges.

If you have questions or ideas for us, please send an email to Public Health Question at jh.edu.

That's Public Health Question at jh.edu for future podcast episodes.

This is Grace Asiri. In honor of World Mosquieter Day, which is observed annually on August 20th,

we bring you an extended episode

of Malaria Minute, a podcast from the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. Let's listen.

Over 125 years ago, scientists made a landmark discovery that female Anophilis mosquitoes were the

vectors of malaria, that they carried

infective parasites from human to human, inflicting illness and even death upon most they bite.

To stop the consequences, scientists figured you first need to stop the mosquito.

Over a century later, female anophilies mosquitoes remain the target of malaria control and prevention.

Bed nets that you sleep under or sprays that kill the mosquitoes around the home have become trusty tools.

Now, a new tool called gene drives offers a different approach.

They involve genetically modifying the mosquito so that they can't transmit

the disease. This special episode of public health on call explains how they work and how they

might fit within the broader context of malaria public health efforts. We ask, what are the challenges

of moving gene drives from the lab to the field?

How can researchers ensure that gene drives are safe?

And how can the concerns of local communities be addressed?

The story is told by experts from different disciplines, from different countries,

all working together to make gene drives a reality.

...