Hartley Sarah, Stelmach Aleksandra, Opesen Chris, Openjuru George Ladaah, Neema Stella
University of Exeter, UK.
Makerere University, Uganda.
Sci Commun. 2024 Aug;46(4):431-457. doi: 10.1177/10755470241234048. Epub 2024 Mar 11.
Uganda may host the world's first field trials of gene drive mosquitoes for malaria control. Global North discourses pre-suppose African publics have access to information about gene drive and are ready to make decisions about its governance. We explore assumptions about the availability of this information in Uganda. We find a paucity of information available combined with a strong desire for information from lay publics. We discuss these findings in the context of Ugandan information infrastructures and political sensitivities to genetic technologies. If Ugandans are to decide about gene drive, they need independent information about the science to underpin engagement.
乌干达可能会主办世界上首次针对控制疟疾的基因驱动蚊子进行的实地试验。全球北方的论述预先假定非洲公众能够获取有关基因驱动的信息,并准备好就其治理做出决策。我们探究了乌干达关于此类信息可得性的假设。我们发现可获取的信息匮乏,同时普通民众对信息有强烈需求。我们结合乌干达的信息基础设施以及对基因技术的政治敏感性来讨论这些发现。如果乌干达人要对基因驱动做出决策,他们需要关于该科学的独立信息来支撑参与度。