Treating everone living in malarious areas with the HbS allele. Good or bad idea?

Question

If genetic engineering made it possible, would it be wise to give everyone who lives in malarious areas the HbS allele?

It sounds like a good idea but wouldn't this prove to be a bad idea when it comes to natural selection favoring resistant populations due to the overuse of antibiotics? This would cause a large, detrimental shift in directional selection right?

Answer 1

You would be making everyone heterozygous for the trait. The problem is that everyone would still be a carrier, so a significant proportion of the population would be homozygous recessive, due to assortive mating.

Answer 2

I would go with one of the lesser known, but just as effective adaptive changes, such as Haemoglobin C, which is resistant to malaria, but does not cause serious illness in the homozygous form as HbS does. There are also certain blood groups which have a resistance to malaria, such as Duffy antigens.
The problem also, with HbS trait, is that it just reduces the chances of dying from the disease, it does not stop anyone catching the disease. Within a few generations, there will be a strain of malaria which allows the sufferer to live long enough to pass on the disease, and then we will be back at the start again. Remember, malaria parasites adapt, as well. To them, HbS is an environmental pressure to adapt.

Answer 3

armed bears??? what could be next?? seagulls donning diapers?? think of roughly it you provide one animal extra rights and something will commence with their demands (hmm sounds like a competent section to establish a regulation company think of of the money you are able to make ooops I mean the honey we are speaking bears actual now) are you able to think of the rabbits will call for to be able to have rocket launchers as their predators are plenty greater than themselves and that they could require the better knock down ability. A deer with a crossbow (the extra push could be mandatory to get the hunters that lurk in the wood) wearing camo with the intention to no longer be seen via their prey. Squirrels with pistols.....the place will the insanity end??? i'm sorting out regulation college as quickly as I end responding to this question so as that i could nicely be waiting for the push from the animal kingdom whilst they settle on that they have got had adequate and choose a competent criminal expert. thank you for the snicker