Modelling the Influence of Climate and Vector Control Interventions on Arbovirus Transmission.

Most mathematical models that assess the vectorial capacity of disease-transmitting insects typically focus on the influence of climatic factors to predict variations across different times and locations, or examine the impact of vector control interventions to forecast their potential effectiveness. We combine features of existing models to develop a novel model for vectorial capacity that considers both climate and vector control. This model considers how vector control tools affect vectors at each stage of their feeding cycle, and incorporates host availability and preference. Applying this model to arboviruses of veterinary importance in Europe, we show that African horse sickness virus (AHSV) has a higher peak predicted vectorial capacity than bluetongue virus (BTV), Schmallenberg virus (SBV), and epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV). However, AHSV has a shorter average infectious period due to high mortality; therefore, the overall basic reproduction number of AHSV is similar to BTV. A comparable relationship exists between SBV and EHDV, with both viruses showing similar basic reproduction numbers. Focusing on AHSV transmission in the UK, insecticide-treated stable netting is shown to significantly reduce vectorial capacity of Culicoides, even at low coverage levels. However, untreated stable netting is likely to have limited impact. Overall, this model can be used to consider both climate and vector control interventions either currently utilised or for potential use in an outbreak, and could help guide policy makers seeking to mitigate the impact of climate change on disease control.

Use of insect repellent as personal protection among women of childbearing age in an arbovirus endemic area in Northeastern Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the factors associated with the individual use of insect repellent by women of childbearing age living in area endemic for arboviruses in Fortaleza, Brazil. METHODS: This is a cohort study carried out between 2018 and 2019 with women aged between 15 and 39 years in Fortaleza, state of Ceará, Brazil. A total of 1,173 women users of one of the four selected primary health care units participated in the study. The outcome was divided into: continued use, discontinued use, and nonuse of insect repellent. Crude and adjusted multinominal logistic regression analysis was carried out guided by a hierarchical model, with presentation of the respective odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). The independent variables include: socioeconomic and demographic data, environmental and sanitary characteristics, knowledge of the insect repellent, and behavioral and pregnancy-related aspects. RESULTS: Only 28% of the participants reported using insect repellent during the two waves of the cohort. Women with higher education (OR=2.55; 95%CI 1.44-4.51); who are employed (OR=1.51; 95%CI 1.12-2.03); who received guidance from healthcare professionals (OR=1.74; 95%CI 1.28-2.36) and the media (OR=1.43; 95%CI 1.01-2.02); who intensified precautions against mosquitoes during the epidemic (OR=3.64; 95%CI 2.29-5.78); and who were pregnant between 2016 and 2019 (OR=2.80; 95%CI 1.83-4.30) had increased odds for continued use of insect repellent. CONCLUSION: The use of insect repellent among women of childbearing age was associated with a higher level of education, employment, guidance on insect repellent provided by healthcare professionals and the media, behavioral changes to protect against mosquitoes during the Zika virus epidemic, and pregnancy when occurring as of the beginning of the epidemic period.

WhatsApp-based intervention in urban Colombia to support the prevention of arboviral diseases: a feasibility study.

Arboviral diseases remain a significant health concern worldwide, with over half the world's population at risk for dengue alone. Without a vaccine or targeted treatment, the most effective strategy of prevention is vector management with community involvement. mHealth interventions, like WhatsApp, offer promising results for engaging communities and promoting healthier behaviors. This study explores the feasibility of integrating WhatsApp in vector control activities to improve arbovirus prevention in Colombia. A mixed-methods approach was employed to assess the WhatsApp-based intervention. WhatsApp messages were sent to 45 community women for 5 weeks to increase their knowledge and practices about dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. Pre-and-post surveys and focus group discussions were conducted in community settings to measure the feasibility and acceptability of this intervention. Chat reviews were done to assess the usability of users. A total of 1566 messages were exchanged in 45 WhatsApp chats. High acceptance and good usability (82% of users used the app for replying) were reported in this study. WhatsApp messages were perceived as short, clear, and enjoyable. Users liked the frequency, and design of messages. Pre- and post-surveys demonstrated improvements in the knowledge and practices of arboviral diseases. The intention to apply this knowledge in practice was reflected in a significant improvement, particularly in cleaning the laundry tank once a week (pre 62.1% to post 89.6%, p < 0.008). This study suggests that using WhatsApp as an additional tool could be a feasible, acceptable, and affordable strategy for improving the adoption of better practices in the prevention of arboviral diseases.

Generating prophylactic immunity against arboviruses in vertebrates and invertebrates.

The World Health Organization recently declared a global initiative to control arboviral diseases. These are mainly caused by pathogenic flaviviruses (such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika viruses) and alphaviruses (such as chikungunya and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses). Vaccines represent key interventions for these viruses, with licensed human and/or veterinary vaccines being available for several members of both genera. However, a hurdle for the licensing of new vaccines is the epidemic nature of many arboviruses, which presents logistical challenges for phase III efficacy trials. Furthermore, our ability to predict or measure the post-vaccination immune responses that are sufficient for subclinical outcomes post-infection is limited. Given that arboviruses are also subject to control by the immune system of their insect vectors, several approaches are now emerging that aim to augment antiviral immunity in mosquitoes, including Wolbachia infection, transgenic mosquitoes, insect-specific viruses and paratransgenesis. In this Review, we discuss recent advances, current challenges and future prospects in exploiting both vertebrate and invertebrate immune systems for the control of flaviviral and alphaviral diseases.

[Arbovirus - a threat to transfusion safety in Spain: a narrative review]. / Arbovirus como amenaza para la seguridad transfusional en España: revisión narrativa.

Arboviruses represent a threat to transfusion safety for several reasons: the presence of vectors and the notification of autochthonous cases in our region, the recent increase in the number of cases transmitted through blood and/or blood component transfusion, the high prevalence rates of RNA of the main arboviruses in asymptomatic blood donors, and their ability to survive processing and storage in the different blood components. In an epidemic outbreak caused by an arbovirus in our region, transfusion centres can apply different measures: reactive measures, related to donor selection or arbovirus screening, and proactive measures, such as pathogen inactivation methods. The study of the epidemiology of the main arboviruses and understanding the effectiveness of the different measures that we can adopt are essential to ensure that our blood components remain safe.

Nota técnica N. 1/2024 - SES/SPAIS: nota técnica conjunta SPAIS/SUVISA sobre recomendações do trabalho de combate ao Aedes Aegypt pelos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde (ACS) e Agentes de Combate à Endemia (ACE) / Technical Note No. 1/2024 - SES/SPAIS: joint technical note SPAIS/SUVISA on recommendations for work to combat Aedes Aegypt by Community Health Agents (ACS) and Endemic Control Agents (ACE)

Nota técnica sobre recomendações do trabalho de combate ao Aedes Aegypt pelos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde (ACS) e Agentes de Combate à Endemias (ACE), que foi elaborada em razão do cenário epidemiológico de Doenças Infecciosas Virais - Arboviroses no Estado de Goiás 3 PÁGINAS

Nota técnica sobre recomendações do trabalho de combate ao Aedes Aegypt pelos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde (ACS) e Agentes de Combate à Endemias (ACE), que foi elaborada em razão do cenário epidemiológico de Doenças Infecciosas Virais - Arboviroses no Estado de Goiás

[Discovery and distribution of and response to arbovirus in China over the past seven decades].

Arbovirus is a group of virus transmitted by blood-sucking arthropod bites, which infects both arthropods and vertebrates. More than 600 arboviruses have been characterized worldwide until now, including 65 highly pathogenic viruses, which pose a high threat to public health. The risk of arbovirus transmission is increasing due to climate change, international trade and urbanization. The review summarizes the discovery and distribution of emerging and reemerging arboviruses and novel arboviruses with potential pathogenic risks, and proposes responses to the arbovirus transmission risk, so as to provide insights into the research and management of arboviruses and arthropod-borne infectious diseases in China.

Quantifying the relationship between arboviral infection prevalence and human mobility patterns among participants of the Communities Organized to Prevent Arboviruses cohort (COPA) in southern Puerto Rico.

Human movement is increasingly being recognized as a major driver of arbovirus risk and dissemination. The Communities Organized to Prevent Arboviruses (COPA) study is a cohort in southern Puerto Rico to measure arboviral prevalence, evaluate interventions, and collect mobility data. To quantify the relationship between arboviral prevalence and human mobility patterns, we fit multilevel logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios for mobility-related predictors of positive chikungunya IgG or Zika IgM test results collected from COPA, assuming mobility data does not change substantially from year to year. From May 8, 2018-June 8, 2019, 39% of the 1,845 active participants during the study period had a positive arboviral seroprevalence result. Most (74%) participants reported spending five or more weekly hours outside of their home. A 1% increase in weekly hours spent outside the home was associated with a 4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 2-7%) decrease in the odds of testing positive for arbovirus. After adjusting for age and whether a person had air conditioning (AC) at home, any time spent in a work location was protective against arbovirus infection (32% decrease, CI: 9-49%). In fact, there was a general decreased prevalence for individuals who visited locations that were inside and had AC or screens, regardless of the type of location (32% decrease, CI: 12-47%). In this population, the protective characteristics of locations visited appear to be the most important driver of the relationship between mobility and arboviral prevalence. This relationship indicates that not all mobility is the same, with elements like screens and AC providing protection in some locations. These findings highlight the general importance of AC and screens, which are known to be protective against mosquitoes and mosquito-transmitted diseases.

Nota informativa N. 01/2023: alerta sobre isolamento da DENV-3, aumento de arboviroses no território nacional e risco de epidemia em Goiás / Information Note N. 01/2023: warning about isolation of DENV-3, increase in arboviruses in the national territory and the risk of an epidemic in Goiás

O cenário epidemiológico nacional mostra um aumento do número de casos notificados de dengue e o isolamento de DENV-3. O DENV-3 teve circulação importante no Brasil entre os anos de 2016 e 2017, após esse período tivemos predomínio dos sorotipos DENV-1 e DENV-2. A reintrodução desse sorotipo traz um alerta por meio desta nota técnica onde traz importantes recomendações aos municípios para a prevenção de uma possível epidemia de arboviroses

The national epidemiological scenario shows an increase in the number of reported cases of dengue and the isolation of DENV-3. DENV-3 had important circulation in Brazil between 2016 and 2017, after this period we had a predominance of DENV-1 and DENV-2 serotypes. The reintroduction of this serotype brings an alert through this technical note which provides important recommendations to municipalities for the prevention of a possible arbovirus epidemic

Factores socioambientales que facilitaron la propagación del dengue en Cauto Cristo, Granma / Socio Environmental Factors That Facilitated the Spread of Dengue in Cauto Cristo, Granma

Introducción: Los arbovirus transmitidos por mosquitos y principalmente por los del género Aedes constituyen, actualmente, un reto a nivel mundial. Objetivo: Identificar los factores socioambientales que facilitaron la propagación del dengue en el municipio Cauto Cristo, durante el año 2022. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo y transversal sobre las características clínicas y epidemiológicas de los 337 pacientes diagnosticados con dengue en el municipio Cauto Cristo, provincia Granma, en el año 2022. En el análisis, se tuvieron en cuenta las variables: sexo, consejo popular, mes del año, índice de infestación y factores de riesgo. Resultados: El consejo popular con más casos de dengue fue Cauto Cristo Este (42,14 por ciento), con una afectación del sexo femenino del 68,30 por ciento; el mayor pico de la enfermedad se produjo período de julio a octubre, en el que hubo 78,93 por ciento de los casos confirmados en el año. Se detectaron 286 focos positivos durante todo el período de estudio, con alto índice de infestación. El no uso de repelente (95,54 por ciento), seguido de la presencia de criaderos en centros de trabajo (71,51 por ciento) fueron los principales factores de riesgo. Conclusiones: Todos los consejos populares reportaron casos de dengue, principalmente el consejo popular Cauto Cristo Este, con varios focos detectados y alto índice de infestación. Entre los principales factores de riesgo, se identificaron el no uso de repelente, la presencia de criaderos en centros de trabajo y en la vivienda o sus alrededores. El mayor pico de la enfermedad ocurrió entre julio y octubre de 2022(AU)

Introduction: Arboviruses transmitted by mosquitoes, mainly by those of the Aedes genus, currently constitute a global challenge. Objective: To identify the socio-environmental factors that facilitated the spread of dengue in Cauto Cristo municipality during 2022. Methods: A descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional study was carried out on the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the 337 patients diagnosed with dengue in Cauto Cristo municipality, Granma province, in 2022. In the analysis, the variables taken into account were sex, people's council, month of the year, infestation rate and risk factors. Results: The people's council with the most cases of dengue was Cauto Cristo Este (42.14percent), with 68.30percent of the female sex affected; the highest peak of the disease occurred in the period from July to October, in which there were 78.93percent of confirmed cases in the year. Two hundred eighty-six positive outbreaks were detected throughout the study period, with high infestation rate. The main risk factors were non-use of repellent (95.54percent), followed by the presence of breeding sites in workplaces (71.51percent). Conclusions: All popular councils reported cases of dengue, mainly in Cauto Cristo people´s council, with several outbreaks detected and high infestation rate. Among the main risk factors were the non-use of repellent, the presence of breeding sites in workplaces and in or around the home. The largest peak of the disease occurred between July and October 2022(AU)

Development of Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies for Emerging Arbovirus Infections.

Antibody-based passive immunotherapy has been used effectively in the treatment and prophylaxis of infectious diseases. Outbreaks of emerging viral infections from arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) represent a global public health problem due to their rapid spread, urging measures and the treatment of infected individuals to combat them. Preparedness in advances in developing antivirals and relevant epidemiological studies protect us from damage and losses. Immunotherapy based on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has been shown to be very specific in combating infectious diseases and various other illnesses. Recent advances in mAb discovery techniques have allowed the development and approval of a wide number of therapeutic mAbs. This review focuses on the technological approaches available to select neutralizing mAbs for emerging arbovirus infections and the next-generation strategies to obtain highly effective and potent mAbs. The characteristics of mAbs developed as prophylactic and therapeutic antiviral agents for dengue, Zika, chikungunya, West Nile and tick-borne encephalitis virus are presented, as well as the protective effect demonstrated in animal model studies.

Zoonotic mosquito-borne arboviruses: Spillover, spillback, and realistic mitigation strategies.

Emerging zoonotic mosquito-borne viruses pose increasing health threats because of growing mosquito population, geographic expansions, and control challenges. We emphasize the need for global preparedness to effectively mitigate the health, societal, and economic impacts of spillover by these viruses through proactive measures of prediction, surveillance, prevention, and treatment.

Developing African arbovirus networks and capacity strengthening in arbovirus surveillance and response: findings from a virtual workshop.

This meeting report presents the key findings and discussion points of a 3-h virtual workshop, held on 21 September 2022, and organized by the "Resilience Against Future Threats through Vector Control (RAFT)" research consortium. The workshop aimed to identify priorities for advancing arbovirus research, network and capacity strengthening in Africa. Due to increasing human population growth, urbanization and global movement (trade, tourism, travel), mosquito-borne arboviral diseases, such as dengue, Chikungunya and Zika, are increasing globally in their distribution and prevalence. This report summarizes the presentations that reviewed the current status of arboviruses in Africa, including: (i) key findings from the recent WHO/Special Programme for Research & Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO/TDR) survey in 47 African countries that revealed deep and widespread shortfalls in the capacity to cope with arbovirus outbreak preparedness, surveillance and control; (ii) the value of networking in this context, with examples of African countries regarding arbovirus surveillance; and (iii) the main priorities identified by the breakout groups on "research gaps", "networks" and "capacity strengthening".

Boletim epidemiológico: monitoramento dos casos de arboviroses em Goiás da semana epidemiológica 01 de 2022 até a semana epidemiológica 14 de 2023 / Epidemiological bulletin: monitoring of cases of arboviruses in Goiás from epidemiological week 01 of 2022 to epidemiological week 14 of 2023

As arboviroses transmitidas pelo mosquito Aedes aegypti são um dos principais problemas de saúde pública no Estado de Goiás. Este boletim uma produção mensal, com o objetivo de apresentar a situação epidemiológica dos casos no estado, utilizando como fonte de dados os registros de casos suspeitos e confirmados ocorridos nos últimos anos, disponíveis no Sinan Online e Sinan Net. Adicionalmente, também é apresentado dados relativos à Síndrome Congênita associada à infecção pelo Zika Vírus, disponíveis no Sistema de Registro de Eventos em Saúde Pública (RESP) ­ Microcefalias

The arboviruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito are one of the main public health problems in the State of Goiás. This bulletin is a monthly production, with the objective of presenting the epidemiological situation of the cases in the state, using as a source of data the records of suspected cases and confirmed occurrences in recent years, available on Sinan Online and Sinan Net. In addition, data on the Congenital Syndrome associated with Zika Virus infection are also presented, available on the Public Health Event Registration System (RESP) ­ Microcephaly

Plano de contingência para controle arboviroses - 2023/2024 (Dengue - Chikungunya - Zika) / Contingency Plan for Arbovirus Control - 2023/2024 (Dengue - Chikungunya - Zika)

O quadro epidemiológico atual das arboviroses no estado de Goiás caracteriza-se pela ampla distribuição do Aedes aegypti em todas as regiões, com circulação simultânea de sorotipos virais 1 e 2 da dengue e confirmação de casos de zika e chikungunya, objetivando a prevenção e controle de epidemias das arboviroses: dengue, chikungunya e zika a Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de Goiás apresenta o Plano de contingência para o controle de arboviroses 2023 - 2024

The current epidemiological picture of arboviruses in the state of Goiás is characterized by the wide distribution of Aedes aegypti in all regions, with simultaneous circulation of viral serotypes 1 and 2 of dengue and confirmation of cases of zika and chikungunya, aiming at the prevention and control of epidemics of arboviruses: dengue, chikungunya and zika the State Department of Health of Goiás presents the Plan of contingency for the control of arboviruses 2023 - 2024

Safety and immunogenicity of AGS-v PLUS, a mosquito saliva peptide vaccine against arboviral diseases: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1 trial.

BACKGROUND: Immunity to mosquito salivary proteins could provide protection against multiple mosquito-borne diseases and significantly impact public health. We evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of AGS-v PLUS, a mosquito salivary peptide vaccine, in healthy adults 18-50 years old. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1 study of AGS-v PLUS administered subcutaneously on Days 1 and 22 at the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. Participants were block randomized 1:1:1:1:1 to two doses saline placebo, two doses AGS-v PLUS, AGS-v PLUS/ISA-51 and saline placebo, two doses AGS-v PLUS/ISA-51, or two doses AGS-v PLUS/Alhydrogel. Primary endpoints were safety (all participants receiving ≥1 injection) and antibody and cytokine responses (all participants with day 43 samples), analysed by intention to treat. FINDINGS: Between 26 August 2019 and 25 February 2020, 51 participants were enrolled and randomized, 11 into the single dose AGS-v PLUS/ISA-51 group and ten in other groups. Due to COVID-19, 15 participants did not return for day 43 samplings. Participants experienced no treatment-emergent or serious adverse events. All solicited symptoms in 2/10 placebo recipients and 22/41 AGS-v PLUS recipients after dose one and 1/10 placebo recipients and 22/41 AGS-v PLUS recipients after dose two were mild/moderate except for one severe fever the day after vaccination (placebo group). Only injection site pain was more common in vaccine groups (15/51 after dose 1 and 11/51 after dose 2) versus placebo. Compared to placebo, all vaccine groups had significantly greater fold change in anti-AGS-v PLUS IgG and IFN-É£ from baseline. INTERPRETATION: AGS-v PLUS had favourable safety profile and induced robust immune responses. Next steps will determine if findings translate into clinical efficacy against mosquito-borne diseases. FUNDING: UK Department of Health and Social Care.

Brasil integra debate da OMS sobre iniciativa global de controle das arboviroses

O trabalho realizado pelo Ministério da Saúde do Brasil para prevenção e controle das arboviroses – dengue, zika, chikungunya e febre amarela – ganhou destaque, nesta quinta-feira (31), na reunião Global Integrated Arboviruses Initiative, promovida pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS).

Prevention and control of mosquito-borne arboviral diseases: lessons learned from a school-based intervention in Brazil (Zikamob).

BACKGROUND: Since the 1980s, when dengue was reintroduced in Brazil, outbreaks and epidemics caused by different arbovirus strains transmitted by vector mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti have been an annual occurrence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavioural change of high school students and teachers who participated in an educational intervention for the prevention and vector control of arboviral diseases. METHODS: In this school-based intervention, a self-reported questionnaire was used in a pre-post intervention methodology to assess environmental risk factors, sociodemographic variables and to measure attitudes and behaviours. In all, 883 high school students and teachers from the city of Campina Grande, in the state of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil, participated. The e-health intervention consisted of a competition between schools to comply with preventive actions via content production for social networks, and the monitoring was performed over a period of three months through the ZikaMob software developed by the researchers. RESULTS: Out of the 883 survey participants, 690 were students ranging in age from 14 to 41 years, with an average of 17 ± 2 years; and 193 were teachers from 22 to 64 years old, averaging 38 ± 9 years. The analysis of the data shows that significant differences in most of the target behaviours were apparent after the intervention, with an increase of about 10% in the performance of inspection actions; a 7% greater separation of recyclables and a 40% increase in the screening of windows among students. Students showed lower fear of, and a lower self-perception of the risk of, acquiring arboviruses than teachers on average. CONCLUSIONS: ZikaMob is an innovative strategy with the potential to be replicated in any location that has an internet network and can involve an unlimited number of participants.