Strengthening community engagement for the control of Aedes-borne diseases: Insights from an international workshop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
8 affiliations
- 1MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France
- 2Institutional Relations Office of the President’s Office, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 3Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Blanes, Spain
- 4Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS/CNRST), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- 5Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences Department, Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- 6Institute for Science, Innovation and Society (InSIS), School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- 7Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 8Vice-Presidência de Educação, Informação e Comunicação (VPEIC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Abstract
Arboviral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, including dengue, chikungunya and zika, represent a growing global public health threat, exacerbated by climate change, rapid urbanisation, social inequalities and weak public infrastructures. While technical innovations in vector control continue to expand, their effectiveness and sustainability largely depend on social dynamics, sustained community engagement and local ownership. We report here insights from the International Workshop Strengthening North-South research cooperation in social sciences for protecting vulnerable populations from Aedes-borne diseases, held in Rio de Janeiro in September 2025. The meeting brought together researchers, public health professionals, and community actors from the Americas, Europe, and Africa. The workshop aimed to explore how social sciences can contribute to the surveillance and control of Aedes-borne diseases, particularly in vulnerable settings. Structured around three thematic sessions, the workshop examined (i) how the social sciences can contribute to better health and well-being in a context of global environmental and climatic changes; (ii) what are the factors shaping communities’ perceptions of Aedes control strategies, and how can social sciences contribute to appropriation and implementation of those strategies, including Wolbachia and sterile insect techniques; and (iii) how citizen science tools and digital technologies support surveillance and engagement in the fight against vector-borne diseases? Across sessions, case studies from Latin America, Africa, and Europe highlighted the central role of trust, locally grounded knowledge, participatory governance, and intersectoral collaborations. Discussions emphasised that community engagement is a core determinant of effective and equitable vector-borne disease control. Citizen science initiatives, participatory surveillance, and co-designed interventions were shown to strengthen data quality, improve acceptability of innovations, and empower communities to address structural determinants of exposure. The workshop concluded that integrating social sciences into One Health approaches is essential to develop adaptive, inclusive, and sustainable responses to arboviral threats in a rapidly and unpredictably changing world. Author summary: Dengue, chikungunya and zika are viral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes that affect millions of people worldwide, particularly in urban and socially vulnerable settings. Their spread is influenced not only by mosquitoes, but also by environmental change, material living conditions, social inequalities and how communities interact with public health interventions. Although new technologies for mosquito control are increasingly available, their effectiveness often depends on whether they are understood, accepted and supported by local populations. This article presents key lessons from an international workshop on social sciences held in Rio de Janeiro in 2025. Researchers, public health professionals, and community actors discussed how social scientific research and public engagement can improve the surveillance and control of Aedes-borne diseases. The discussions covered community perceptions of mosquito control strategies, the use of citizen science and digital tools for disease surveillance, and field experiences showing how community participation can strengthen prevention efforts. Across different countries and contexts, the workshop highlighted the importance of trust, local knowledge, and collaboration between communities and institutions. These discussions underline that integrating social sciences into One Health approaches can help design more effective, equitable, and sustainable strategies to reduce the burden of arboviral diseases.
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BibTeX
@article{poinsignon2026strengthening,
title = {{Strengthening community engagement for the control of Aedes-borne diseases: Insights from an international workshop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil}},
author = {Anne Poinsignon and Gabriela Azevedo de Aguiar and Mar Jambou and Jean W. Birba and Irene R. Moshi and Javier Lezaun and Vincent Corbel and Florence Fournet and Marcia F. Lenzi},
journal = {PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0014832},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014832},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Strengthening community engagement for the control of Aedes-borne diseases: Insights from an international workshop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
AU - Anne Poinsignon
AU - Gabriela Azevedo de Aguiar
AU - Mar Jambou
AU - Jean W. Birba
AU - Irene R. Moshi
AU - Javier Lezaun
AU - Vincent Corbel
AU - Florence Fournet
AU - Marcia F. Lenzi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
DO - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014832
UR - https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014832
AB - Arboviral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, including dengue, chikungunya and zika, represent a growing global public health threat, exacerbated by climate change, rapid urbanisation, social inequalities and weak public infrastructures. While technical innovations in vector control continue to expand, their effectiveness and sustainability largely depend on social dynamics, sustained community engagement and local ownership. We report here insights from the International Workshop Strengthening North-South research cooperation in social sciences for protecting vulnerable populations from Aedes-borne diseases, held in Rio de Janeiro in September 2025. The meeting brought together researchers, public health professionals, and community actors from the Americas, Europe, and Africa. The workshop aimed to explore how social sciences can contribute to the surveillance and control of Aedes-borne diseases, particularly in vulnerable settings. Structured around three thematic sessions, the workshop examined (i) how the social sciences can contribute to better health and well-being in a context of global environmental and climatic changes; (ii) what are the factors shaping communities’ perceptions of Aedes control strategies, and how can social sciences contribute to appropriation and implementation of those strategies, including Wolbachia and sterile insect techniques; and (iii) how citizen science tools and digital technologies support surveillance and engagement in the fight against vector-borne diseases? Across sessions, case studies from Latin America, Africa, and Europe highlighted the central role of trust, locally grounded knowledge, participatory governance, and intersectoral collaborations. Discussions emphasised that community engagement is a core determinant of effective and equitable vector-borne disease control. Citizen science initiatives, participatory surveillance, and co-designed interventions were shown to strengthen data quality, improve acceptability of innovations, and empower communities to address structural determinants of exposure. The workshop concluded that integrating social sciences into One Health approaches is essential to develop adaptive, inclusive, and sustainable responses to arboviral threats in a rapidly and unpredictably changing world. Author summary: Dengue, chikungunya and zika are viral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes that affect millions of people worldwide, particularly in urban and socially vulnerable settings. Their spread is influenced not only by mosquitoes, but also by environmental change, material living conditions, social inequalities and how communities interact with public health interventions. Although new technologies for mosquito control are increasingly available, their effectiveness often depends on whether they are understood, accepted and supported by local populations. This article presents key lessons from an international workshop on social sciences held in Rio de Janeiro in 2025. Researchers, public health professionals, and community actors discussed how social scientific research and public engagement can improve the surveillance and control of Aedes-borne diseases. The discussions covered community perceptions of mosquito control strategies, the use of citizen science and digital tools for disease surveillance, and field experiences showing how community participation can strengthen prevention efforts. Across different countries and contexts, the workshop highlighted the importance of trust, local knowledge, and collaboration between communities and institutions. These discussions underline that integrating social sciences into One Health approaches can help design more effective, equitable, and sustainable strategies to reduce the burden of arboviral diseases.
SN - 1935-2735
ER -