Vector-Borne Disease Control in Urban Environments (RMI)

描述（由申请人提供）：媒介传播的疾病，如疟疾、登革热、西尼罗河和裂谷热，是世界各地城市的主要公共卫生问题。每个城市的疾病程度在很大程度上取决于调节昆虫媒介种群动态的环境。贫穷、城市农业、水和卫生设施的供应、人口流动增加、基础设施恶化、城市地区过度拥挤以及自然灾害都有助于改变昆虫媒介自然栖息地的条件的发展。这些复杂的问题最好通过跨学科的方法来解决，因为历史表明，仅靠医学和昆虫学方法是不够的。将通过迈阿密大学的全球公共卫生方案建立一个INTERVECTOR跨学科研究探索中心。澳门大学的教职员工将与国际合作者建立伙伴关系，在东非（肯尼亚）、中东（以色列、埃及）和拉丁美洲-加勒比（特立尼达和哥斯达黎加）三个地区的7个选定城市研究蚊媒疾病的生态学和控制。有4个具体目标：1)构建研究设计，结合与城市环境中媒介传播疾病的生态学和控制相关的跨学科方法解决问题策略；2)通过对昆虫学、流行病学、环境和人口参数的跨学科评估，评估每个选定城市媒介传播疾病当前和未来的风险；3)在每个选定城市开展小规模实地研究，进一步获取影响人蚊接触和媒介传播疾病时空风险的关键因素的跨学科信息；4)加强利用跨学科方法控制城市环境中媒介传播疾病的能力。一个主要成果将包括在城市环境中控制病媒传播疾病的新的可检验的跨学科方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Vector-borne diseases, like malaria, dengue, West Nile, and Rift Valley Fever are major public health problems in cities throughout the world. The extent of disease in each city varies largely as a function of the environment that regulates the dynamics of insect vector populations. Poverty, urban farming, water and sanitation availability, increased population movement, deteriorating infrastructures, overcrowding in urban areas, and natural disasters all contribute to the development of conditions that modify the natural habitats of insect vectors. These complex problems can best be addressed through interdisciplinary approaches, as history has shown that medical and entomological approaches alone are not sufficient. An INTERVECTOR Exploratory Center for Interdisciplinary Research will be developed through the Global Public Health Program of the University of Miami (UM). Partnerships will be developed between UM faculty and international collaborators to study the ecology and control of mosquito-borne diseases at 7 selected cities in three regions: East Africa (Kenya), the Middle East (Israel, Egypt), and Latin America-Caribbean (Trinidad and Costa Rica). There are 4 specific aims: 1) construct study designs that incorporate interdisciplinary approaches for problem-solving strategies that are relevant to the ecology and control of vector-borne diseases in urban environments, 2) assess current and future risks of vector-borne diseases at each selected city through interdisciplinary assessments of entomological, epidemiological, environmental, and demographic parameters, 3) conduct small-scale field studies in each of the selected cities to obtain further interdisciplinary information on key factors affecting the spatial and temporal risks of mosquito-human contact and vector-borne diseases, and 4) strengthen capacity for harnessing the power of interdisciplinary approaches for controlling vector-borne diseases in urban environments. A major outcome will include new testable interdisciplinary approaches for controlling vector-borne diseases in urban environments.