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For World Malaria Day 2025, The EastAfrican published an op-ed by Dr Abraham Mnzava, Dr Honorati Masanja and Dr Dickson Lwetoijera about how gene drive innovation offers new hope as malaria persists across East Africa.

What if we could immunise mosquitoes by stopping them from transmitting malaria or making them unable to reproduce or even doing both?

This is where scientific innovation, especially engineered gene drive technology, could help change the story and drive a big push towards malaria elimination. This will be possible through the gene drive technology. For example, removing the inherent ability of mosquitoes to carry and spread the malaria parasite is indeed an exciting approach.

Gene drive is therefore a method that scientists are exploring to make this possible. The technology involves the introduction of a special trait in mosquitoes that either blocks their ability to transmit malaria or reduce their ability to reproduce.