Systematic review: Yellow fever control through environmental management mechanisms

OBJECTIVE: Recent research on mosquito vector-borne diseases points to the possibility for a re-emergence of yellow fever. This study investigated attempts at utilising environmental methods and their efficacy for the control of yellow fever and its main vector, Aedes aegypti. METHODS: Potentially eligible studies were searched in Cochrane Library (Reviews and Trials), the Global Index Medicus (encompassing thus the African Index Medicus, the Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the Index Medicus for the South-East Asia Region, the Latin America and the Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences and the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus), Google Scholar, PubMed and Science Direct. RESULTS: Of a total number of 172 eligible studies, 20 met the pre-defined inclusion criteria. Two of them provided quantitative assessment on the efficacy of the described water management and house screening methods with a reduction of cases of 98%, and of a reduction of larvae of 100%, respectively. The remaining 18 studies described or recommended the elimination of breeding sites (through water or waste management, unspecified, or house destruction), the use of screens for houses and the improvement of air circulation without providing any data to evidence control effectiveness. CONCLUSION: This systematic review provides evidence on the historical use and the perceived effectiveness of environmental management methods for combatting yellow fever. However, these methods would benefit from further investigation via controlled trials to provide data for efficacy, costs, acceptability and feasibility

The role of urbanisation in the spread of Aedes mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit-A systematic review

BACKGROUND: This systematic review aims to assess how different urbanisation patterns related to rapid urban growth, unplanned expansion, and human population density affect the establishment and distribution of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus and create favourable conditions for the spread of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic review was conducted using the PubMed, Virtual Health Library, Cochrane, WHO Library Database (WHOLIS), Google Scholar, and and the Institutional Repository for Information Sharing (IRIS) databases. From a total of 523 identified studies, 86 were selected for further analysis, and 29 were finally analysed after applying all inclusion and exclusion criteria. The main explanatory variables used to associate urbanisation with epidemiological/entomological outcomes were the following: human population density, urban growth, artificial geographical space, urban construction, and urban density. Associated with the lack of a global definition of urbanisation, several studies provided their own definitions, which represents one of the study's limitations. Results were based on 8 ecological studies/models, 8 entomological surveillance studies, 7 epidemiological surveillance studies, and 6 studies consisting of spatial and predictive models. According to their focus, studies were categorised into 2 main subgroups, namely "Aedes ecology" and "transmission dynamics." There was a consistent association between urbanisation and the distribution and density of Aedes mosquitoes in 14 of the studies and a strong relationship between vector abundance and disease transmission in 18 studies. Human population density of more than 1,000 inhabitants per square kilometer was associated with increased levels of arboviral diseases in 15 of the studies. CONCLUSIONS: The use of different methods in the included studies highlights the interplay of multiple factors linking urbanisation with ecological, entomological, and epidemiological parameters and the need to consider a variety of these factors for designing effective public health approaches

Εκτίμηση του κοινωνικο-οικονομικού κόστους των χωροκατακτητικών ειδών εντόμων στον Ελλαδικό χώρο

Globalization of trade and travel has facilitated the spread of non-native species across the earth. A proportion of these species become established and cause serious environmental, economic and human health impacts. These species are referred to as invasive. The establishment of invasive species is associated with increased economic losses worldwide. According to the European Commissions’ Impact Assessment on IAS (Invasive Alien Species) (EC, 2013), IAS are estimated to have cost the EU at least €12 billion/year over the past 20 years and the damage costs continue to increase. The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is an invasive mosquito species widely spread in Greece and Southern Europe during the last years and is associated with increased nuisance levels and the transmission of certain diseases such as Chikungunya and Dengue. The target of the present thesis is to evaluate the socio-economic cost imposed by the problem in selected areas of Greece and to identify the crucial parameters of the economic burden associated with the problem of Invasive Mosquito species using a synthesis of methods. Specifically, prevention cost categories, are analyzed based on market prices and on a small scale survey conducted in Greece and Italy. A separate cost of illness approach was conducted for the estimation of medical costs and productivity losses of mosquito borne diseases in Greece from 2010 to 2017. Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis is employed in order to evaluate the economic efficiency of prevention strategies from 2010 to 2017. The willingness of citizens to pay for improved prevention programs averting health and nuisance costs is based on a contingent valuation study using the discrete choice method. An online survey as well as an experts' survey was conducted in order to evaluate qualitative dimensions related to the implementation of specialized control programs. Results indicate that the implementation of specialised control and prevention programs can create a net socioeconomic benefit, however, the spread of epidemics and the overall socioeconomic consequences, had the various prevention costs not been employed, remain unpredictable and extremely difficult to calculate. In addition, citizens are highly concerned with the health risks associated with the new mosquito species and consider public prevention strategies highly important for the confrontation of the problem, while experts tend to place a higher value on mosquito control when associated with the prevention of serious health risks. The synthesis of methods and results produced by the current thesis could act as a preliminary policy guide for the estimation of societal welfare from the confrontation of similar problems in a complex ecosystemic context.Η παγκοσμιοποίηση του εμπορίου και των μετακινήσεων έχει διευκολύνει τη διάδοση των μη ενδημικών-χωροκατακτητικών ειδών σε όλη τη γη. Ένα ποσοστό αυτών των ειδών καθιερώνεται και προκαλεί σοβαρές περιβαλλοντικές, οικονομικές και κοινωνικές επιπτώσεις. Αυτά τα είδη αναφέρονται ως χωροκατακτητικά. Η καθιέρωση διηθητικών ειδών συνδέεται με αυξημένες οικονομικές απώλειες παγκοσμίως. Η επέκταση των χωροκατακτητικών ειδών συνδέεται με αυξημένες οικονομικές απώλειες σε όλο τον κόσμο. Σύμφωνα με την εκτίμηση της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής «Επιπτώσεις των Ξενικών και Χωροκατακτητικών Ειδών» εκτιμάται ότι τα είδη αυτά έχουν κοστίσει στην ΕΕ τουλάχιστον € 12 δισεκατομμύρια κατά έτος κατά τα τελευταία 20 χρόνια ενώ το κόστος των ζημιών συνεχίζει να αυξάνεται. Ένα τέτοιο είδος είναι και το ασιατικό κουνούπι τίγρης (Aedes albopictus) το οποίο εμφανίζεται στην Ελλάδα και τη Νότια Ευρώπη τα τελευταία χρόνια και θεωρείται υπεύθυνο τόσο για τα αυξημένα επίπεδα όχλησης στον ανθρώπινο πληθυσμό, καθώς και για τη μετάδοση συγκεκριμένων επιδημικών ασθενειών όπως το chikungunya και ο δάγκειος πυρετός. Φιλοδοξία της παρούσας διατριβής είναι η διερεύνηση των διαφόρων κατηγοριών κοινωνικοοικονομικού κόστους, η εξέταση των επιπέδων ευημερίας που επιφέρουν τα δημόσια προγράμματα και στρατηγικές καταπολέμησης, όσο και ο έλεγχος των διαφόρων μεθόδων-προσεγγίσεων να αποτιμήσουν σε όρους οφέλους την επίτευξη ικανοποιητικών επιπέδων ευημερίας μέσα από την εφαρμογή μίας σύνθεσης μεθόδων. Συγκεκριμένα, οι κατηγορίες κόστους πρόληψης αναλύονται βάση διαθέσιμων τιμών αγοράς και μίας έρευνας ερωτηματολογίου μικρής κλίμακας που διεξήχθη στην Ελλάδα και την Ιταλία. Για την εκτίμηση του ιατρικού κόστους και της απώλειας παραγωγικότητας ασθενειών μεταδιδόμενων από κουνούπια στην Ελλάδα από το 2010 έως το 2017 διεξήχθη ξεχωριστή έρευνα με τη μέθοδο του "Κόστους Ασθένειας". Επίσης διεξήχθη ανάλυση κόστους-οφέλους και κόστους-αποτελεσματικότητας για την αξιολόγηση της οικονομικής αποτελεσματικότητας των στρατηγικών πρόληψης από το 2010 έως το 2017. Η προθυμία των πολιτών να πληρώσουν για βελτιωμένα προγράμματα πρόληψης που αποτρέπουν το κόστος υγείας και όχλησης βασίζεται στη μέθοδο της Υποθετικής Αξιολόγησης και συγκεκριμένα την εφαρμογή του "Πειράματος Επιλογής". Τέλος, διεξήχθησαν μια διαδικτυακή έρευνα καθώς και μια έρευνα εμπειρογνωμόνων προκειμένου να αξιολογηθούν οι ποιοτικές διαστάσεις που σχετίζονται με την εφαρμογή ειδικών προγραμμάτων ελέγχου. Τα αποτελέσματα δείχνουν ότι η εφαρμογή εξειδικευμένων προγραμμάτων ελέγχου και πρόληψης μπορεί να οδηγήσει σε καθαρό κοινωνικοοικονομικό όφελος, ωστόσο, η εξάπλωση των επιδημιών και οι συνολικές κοινωνικοοικονομικές συνέπειες, παραμένουν απρόβλεπτες και εξαιρετικά δύσκολες να υπολογιστούν. Επιπλέον, οι πολίτες αποδίδουν ιδιαίτερη σημασία στους κινδύνους υγείας που συνδέονται με τα νέα είδη κουνουπιών και θεωρούν ότι οι στρατηγικές δημόσιας πρόληψης είναι πολύ σημαντικές για την αντιμετώπιση του προβλήματος, ενώ οι εμπειρογνώμονες τείνουν να αποδίδουν μεγαλύτερη αξία στον έλεγχο των κουνουπιών όταν συνδέονται με την πρόληψη σοβαρών ασθενειών. Η σύνθεση των μεθόδων και των αποτελεσμάτων της παρούσας εργασίας θα μπορούσε να αποτελέσει έναν προκαταρκτικό οδηγό πολιτικής για την εκτίμηση της κοινωνικής ευημερίας από την αντιμετώπιση παρόμοιων προβλημάτων σε ένα πολύπλοκο οικοσυστημικό πλαίσιο

Novel Approaches for Accounting and Monitoring Carbon Sequestration and the Socioeconomic Impacts of Tree Crops in Southern Europe

The purpose of this study is to investigate mitigation potential of tree-crop cultivations in the Mediterranean region and particularly in Spain, Italy and Greece. In that respect, a methodology is developed, built on top of different parameters affecting the sequestration in tree-crops and providing us with the vital compatibility to apply it in the Mediterranean region and set the framework up to generalize it for other regions in the future. The key parameters that were considered, are the tree-crop type, environmental conditions, the climatological conditions and the socioeconomic dimension of the cultivation. In that direction, field measurements for five representative tree-crops were made, and the relative management practices applied by the farmers were gathered with questionnaires. The current climatic conditions were collected as well as the future conditions were evaluated by projecting for the next 50 years with the use of a Global Climate Model. Based on these, an estimation algorithm was developed (CO2 Removal Capacity Algorithm) that captures the yearly CO2 balance in Biomass, Soil and the enclosed management practices and can be applied specifically at different regions of the study area. As a result, different cultivation practices are evaluated, and their mitigation potentials accordingly ranked. Our study identifies certain mitigation potentials of the agricultural sector and hence contributes to the development of climatic policies coupling agricultural, economic and climatic objectives

On lifestyle trends, health and mosquitoes: Formulating welfare levels for control of the Asian tiger mosquito in Greece.

The expansion of urban ecosystems and climate change, both outcomes of massive lifestyle changes, contribute to a series of side effects such as environmental deterioration, spread of diseases, increased greenhouse gas emissions and introduction of invasive species. In the case of the Athens metropolitan area, an invasive mosquito species-the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus)-has spread widely in the last decade. This spread is favoured within urban environments and is also affected by changing climatic trends. The Asian tiger mosquito is accompanied by risks of mosquito-borne diseases, greater nuisance levels, and increased expenses incurring for its confrontation. The main aims of this paper are (i) to estimate the various costs associated with the control of this invasive species, as well as its health and nuisance impacts, (ii) to evaluate the level of citizens' well-being from averting these impacts and (iii) to record citizens' and experts' perceptions regarding alternative control measures. Evidence shows that experts tend to place a high value on mosquito control when associated with serious health risks, while citizens are more sensitive and concerned about the environmental impacts of control methods. The synthesis of results produced by the current study could act as a preliminary guide for the estimation of societal welfare from the confrontation of similar problems in the context of a complex ecosystem

Pest Control in Primary Sector: Towards the Identification of Knowledge Gaps

Pest control provides important and useful services in rural and urban environments, activities, and value chains. Despite the significance of them, under operational, environmental and food security and safety terms, there are still gaps in the awareness level of targeted groups. Therefore, in the current work, we have carried out questionnaire-based surveillance to pest control operators in Greece and Cyprus, in an attempt to illustrate their knowledge regarding pest control in conjunction with demographic characteristics. In this context, the results underlined the need for further training in all aspects of pest control, but also relative activities that are often are operated by pest controllers, such as food safety activities and applications in the urban and sub-urban environment. The replies that had been obtained during the survey showed good correlations of knowledge with specific variables, such as the size of the company, the age group, and the educational background, in conjunction with the country in which the professional activities are carried out. To our knowledge, this is the first work of its kind, in terms of pest controllers’ perceptions and self-evaluation, illustrating specific knowledge gaps that have to be alleviated towards improved services in urban pest control, especially in sensitive urban areas and facilities, and improved measures for safety during the applications

Exploring Public Preferences, Priorities, and Policy Perspectives for Controlling Invasive Mosquito Species in Greece

Climate change, urbanization, and financial crisis have created a dramatic mixture of challenges in Southern Europe, increasing further the risks of transmission of new vector-borne diseases. In the last decade, there has been a wide spread of an invasive mosquito species Aedes albopictus, commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito, in various urban ecosystems of Greece accompanied by greater risks of infectious diseases, higher nuisance levels, and increased expenses incurred for their control. The aim of the present paper is to investigate citizens' perception of the Aedes albopictus problem and to evaluate various policy aspects related to its control. Findings are based on the conduct of a web-based survey at a national scale and the production of national surveillance maps. Results indicate that citizens are highly concerned with the health risks associated with the new mosquito species and consider public prevention strategies highly important for the confrontation of the problem while, at the same time, surveillance maps indicate a constant intensification of the problem. The spatial patterns of these results are further investigated aiming to define areas (regions) with different: (a) Levels of risk and/or (b) policy priorities. It appears that citizens are aware of the invasive mosquito problem and appear prone to act against possible consequences. Climate change and the complex socio-ecological context of South Europe are expected to favor a deterioration of the problem and an increasing risk of the transmission of new diseases, posing, in this respect, new challenges for policy makers and citizens

Knowledge, Attitudes and Perception of Mosquito Control in Different Citizenship Regimes within and Surrounding the Malakasa Open Accommodation Refugee Camp in Athens, Greece

The study aims to evaluate the Knowledge, Attitude and Perception (KAP) of different societal groups concerning the implementation of targeted community-based mosquito surveillance and control interventions in different citizenship regimes. Targeted surveys were carried out within Malakasa camp for migrants and refugees, neighboring residential areas and urban areas in the wider Athens metropolitan area to investigate different knowledge levels and the role that both local and migrant communities can play in the implementation of community-based interventions based on their attitudes and perceptions. A scoring system was used to rate the collected responses. Results indicate different levels of KAP among the various groups of respondents and different priorities that should be considered in the design and execution of community interventions. Findings indicate a lower level of Knowledge Attitudes and Perceptions for the migrants, while the rate of correct answers for Perception significantly improved for migrants following a small-scale information session. The study highlights disparities in the levels of knowledge for certain public health issues and the feasibility of certain approaches for alleviating health-related challenges such as mosquito-borne diseases. Findings suggest that essential preparedness is needed by public authorities to respond to public health challenges related to migration and the spread of vector-borne diseases

Secondary vectors of Zika Virus, a systematic review of laboratory vector competence studies.

BACKGROUND: After the unprecedented Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the western hemisphere from 2015-2018, Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus are now well established primary and secondary ZIKV vectors, respectively. Consensus about identification and importance of other secondary ZIKV vectors remain. This systematic review aims to provide a list of vector species capable of transmitting ZIKV by reviewing evidence from laboratory vector competence (VC) studies and to identify key knowledge gaps and issues within the ZIKV VC literature. METHODS: A search was performed until 15th March 2022 on the Cochrane Library, Lilacs, PubMed, Web of Science, WHOLIS and Google Scholar. The search strings included three general categories: 1) ZIKA; 2) vector; 3) competence, transmission, isolation, or feeding behavior and their combinations. Inclusion and exclusion criteria has been predefined and quality of included articles was assessed by STROBE and STROME-ID criteria. FINDINGS: From 8,986 articles retrieved, 2,349 non-duplicates were screened by title and abstracts,103 evaluated using the full text, and 45 included in this analysis. Main findings are 1) secondary vectors of interest include Ae. japonicus, Ae. detritus, and Ae. vexans at higher temperature 2) Culex quinquefasciatus was not found to be a competent vector of ZIKV, 3) considerable heterogeneity in VC, depending on the local mosquito strain and virus used in testing was observed. Critical issues or gaps identified included 1) inconsistent definitions of VC parameters across the literature; 2) equivalency of using different mosquito body parts to evaluate VC parameters for infection (mosquito bodies versus midguts), dissemination (heads, legs or wings versus salivary glands), and transmission (detection or virus amplification in saliva, FTA cards, transmission to neonatal mice); 3) articles that fail to use infectious virus assays to confirm the presence of live virus; 4) need for more studies using murine models with immunocompromised mice to infect mosquitoes. CONCLUSION: Recent, large collaborative multi-country projects to conduct large scale evaluations of specific mosquito species represent the most appropriate approach to establish VC of mosquito species

Utilizing Mediterranean Plants to Remove Contaminants from the Soil Environment: A Short Review

The use of contaminated soils in food production imposes the need for the reduction in heavy metals concentrations, using various techniques, in order to eliminate the toxic effects of pollution and ensure safety in the consumption of agricultural products. Phytoremediation is a promising, effective, and publicly acceptable method to remove soils’ toxicity. This study aims to investigate the current knowledge on plants’ metal tolerance mechanisms, the use of Mediterranean plants in phytoremediation, and the economic perspective for its application on large scales. A total of 166 research studies were systematically reviewed, based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The findings indicate that phytoremediation has more advantages compared to other techniques. It can be a sustainable and affordable option, especially for developing countries, due to the relatively low application and maintenance costs. Many hyperaccumulating plants have been identified that can be used in soil cleansing, enhancing the applicability and replicability of the method. The selection of the appropriate plant species is based on their specific physiological characteristics to remove undesirable elements from the soils and, in certain cases, there is a preference for use of non-native species. However, such species may exhibit invasive behaviors, introducing high uncertainties and risks in the preservation of local ecosystems, especially in the Mediterranean zone, since they can have a serious impact on the environmental and ecological dynamics of the local plant communities. The use of native plants is generally more advantageous since they are better acclimated, have no effects on the local ecological balance, and can eliminate the legal restrictions for their use (seed availability, planting, etc.)