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

过去，欧洲和北美的许多传染病都是通过安装清洁水、良好的卫生设施和住房来解决的。今天，全球健康的重点是水和卫生设施，但对住房和健康的研究相对较少。这是一个错失的机会，因为许多由昆虫传播的重要疾病发生在室内或家庭周围。该网络的目标是使撒哈拉以南非洲的社区更能抵御虫媒疾病的威胁；主要是疟疾，一种农村疾病，以及由伊蚊传播的疾病，如寨卡和登革热，主要是城市疾病。为了实现这一目标，我们需要找到新的解决办法来阻止蚊子进入房屋，并在伊蚊传播疾病方面减少城镇的水生栖息地。虽然这听起来似乎是常识，但尽管我们一再尝试，但在过去50年里，我们在将昆虫传播疾病和建筑环境方面的专家聚集在一起方面非常不成功。由于世界卫生组织将于2017年5月启动其控制昆虫传播疾病的全球战略，因此今天更有必要打破这些孤岛，该战略主张由病媒传播疾病专家与建筑环境中的专家一起工作来控制病媒传播疾病。如果得到资助，BOVA网络将成为这一新战略的先锋，帮助保护撒哈拉以南非洲社区免受这些主要虫媒疾病的侵害。将管理该网络的管理委员会是一个极其多样化的小组，其中包括昆虫传播疾病、建筑、土木工程、城镇规划、开发、产品开发、工业、卫生经济学和社区参与方面的专家；来自撒哈拉以南非洲和发达国家。这一杰出的人才库将使我们能够与更大的专家团体建立联系，而网络拨款将为我们发展新的科学学科提供跳板。具体来说，网络将：1)促进各学科之间关于昆虫传播疾病和建筑环境的信息交流；2)资助基础和应用研究，以开发和扩大产品和新方法，以减少建筑环境中昆虫传播疾病的威胁；3)帮助培养下一代科学家、建筑师；工程师和规划人员开发控制这些疾病的方法；4)联系资助者和那些从事发展项目的人，如联合国组织和开发银行，通过建筑环境投资控制媒介传播的疾病。该网络旨在帮助保护撒哈拉以南非洲的公民免受昆虫传播疾病的威胁，并有可能改变数百万人的生活。

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.