Environmentalists are up in arms over a move to release an army of genetically modified  mosquitoes to fight Dengue fever in Malaysia, reports said.     

Reports said the male mosquitoes will be freed in Ketam Island, a village south of Kuala Lumpur, to kill Aedes mosquitoes, which is responsible for Dengue fever.

Dengue has been a major worry for Malaysia, where record lives were lost during the last few years.

The field trials for the GM mosquitoes will be undertaken by the Malaysian health ministry and British-based Oxiter Ltd, an insect bio-tech company

An innovative technique called the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) will be used for the purpose. It is an environment-friendly, species-specific method of insect control, which has been described as "birth control for insects".

The technique involves releasing millions of sterile insects over a wide area to mate with the native insects that are present. Native females that mate with the sterile males produce non-viable eggs, leading to a decline in the target pest population. The lethal genes from the 'released mosquitoes' cause the larvae to die. 

Though the move is still in a laboratory in the UK, green experts say solving this issue may lead to another catastrophe.

They fear that the experiment will lead to a total wipe-out of the species, resulting in an ecological imbalance.

Only a female mosquito can transmit dengue fever because it has a proboscis that can pierce the skin.