On Friday, September 11, 2020, starting at 09:10 a.m., a meeting was held between the officials of the Department for the Coordination of International Conventions (DCCI) and the representatives of the “Target Malaria” program. The aim of the meeting was to share the current state of information on the “Target Malaria” research program.

“Target Malaria” is an innovative research consortium currently underway in Burkina Faso on malaria and aims to develop and share new technologies to fight malaria. Overall, it aims to have a mosquito that is capable of reducing the natural mosquito population.

The program includes three (03) steps whose overall objective is to develop a new technology on the three (03) mosquito species most involved in the transmission of malaria through regulation, scientific research and stakeholder engagement strategies.

The program started in 2012. Indeed, the first stage, which is the phase of releasing genetically modified sterile male mosquitoes, took place on 1 July 2019 on a small scale. This stage made it possible to collect information in order to best develop the final technology.

At the current stage in the 2020 period, the program is in the second stage which is that of the self-limiting biased genetically modified male mosquito that is capable of limiting the offspring of a wild female to 95% males.

The third stage will be the phase of biased male genetic impulses.

In conclusion, the program in 2020 is at an early stage of research and it takes several years for them to develop a technology that is effective in reducing the burden of malaria.