Building Out Vector-borne diseases in sub-Saharan Africa: the BOVA Network

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

In the past, many infectious diseases in Europe and North America were addressed by installing clean water, good sanitation and housing. Today global health focuses on water and sanitation, but there is comparatively little research done on housing and health. This is a missed opportunity, since many important diseases transmitted by insects, occur indoors or around the home. The goal of this Network is to make communities in sub-Saharan Africa more resilient to the threat from insect-transmitted diseases; chiefly malaria, a rural disease, and diseases carried by Aedes species mosquitoes, like Zika and dengue, which are primarily urban diseases. To achieve this goal we need to find new solutions to stop mosquitoes entering houses and, for Aedes-borne diseases, to reduce the aquatic habitats in towns and cities. Whilst this may sound common sense, despite repeated attempts, we have been singularly unsuccessful in bring together experts in insect-transmitted diseases and the built environment over the past 50 years. There is an even greater necessity to break down these silos today since the World Health Organisation will launch its global strategy on the control of insect-transmitted diseases in May 2017 which advocates for the need to control vector-borne diseases by experts in vector-borne diseases working alongside those in the built environment. The BOVA Network, if funded, would be in the vanguard of this new strategy helping to protect communities in sub-Saharan Africa from these major insect-borne diseases. The Management Board that will run the Network is an extremely diverse group with experts on insect-transmitted diseases, architecture, civil engineering, town planning, development, product development, industry, health economics and community participation; from sub-Saharan Africa and developed countries. This exceptional pool of talent will allow us to link-up with larger groups of experts and the Network grant will provide the springboard for us to grow a new scientific discipline. Specifically the Network will: 1) facilitate the exchange of information about insect-transmitted diseases and the built environment between disciplines, 2) fund basic and applied research to develop and scale-up products and novel approaches to reducing the threat from insect-transmitted diseases in the built environment, 3) help build the next generation of scientists, architects, engineers and planners developing approaches to the control of these diseases and 4) to reach out to funders and those engaged in development projects, like United Nations organisations and the Development Banks to invest in the control of vector-borne diseases through the built environment. This Network is designed to help protect the citizens of sub-Saharan Africa from the threat of insect-transmitted diseases and has the potential to change the lives of millions.