Addressing vulnerability, building resilience:community-based adaptation to vector-borne diseases in the context of global change

Abstract Background The threat of a rapidly changing planet – of coupled social, environmental and climatic change – pose new conceptual and practical challenges in responding to vector-borne diseases. These include non-linear and uncertain spatial-temporal change dynamics associated with climate, animals, land, water, food, settlement, conflict, ecology and human socio-cultural, economic and political-institutional systems. To date, research efforts have been dominated by disease modeling, which has provided limited practical advice to policymakers and practitioners in developing policies and programmes on the ground. Main body In this paper, we provide an alternative biosocial perspective grounded in social science insights, drawing upon concepts of vulnerability, resilience, participation and community-based adaptation. Our analysis was informed by a realist review (provided in the Additional file 2) focused on seven major climate-sensitive vector-borne diseases: malaria, schistosomiasis, dengue, leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, chagas disease, and rift valley fever. Here, we situate our analysis of existing community-based interventions within the context of global change processes and the wider social science literature. We identify and discuss best practices and conceptual principles that should guide future community-based efforts to mitigate human vulnerability to vector-borne diseases. We argue that more focused attention and investments are needed in meaningful public participation, appropriate technologies, the strengthening of health systems, sustainable development, wider institutional changes and attention to the social determinants of health, including the drivers of co-infection. Conclusion In order to respond effectively to uncertain future scenarios for vector-borne disease in a changing world, more attention needs to be given to building resilient and equitable systems in the present

Detecting the impact of temperature on transmission of Zika, dengue, and chikungunya using mechanistic models

Recent epidemics of Zika, dengue, and chikungunya have heightened the need to understand the seasonal and geographic range of transmission by Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes. We use mechanistic transmission models to derive predictions for how the probability and magnitude of transmission for Zika, chikungunya, and dengue change with mean temperature, and we show that these predictions are well matched by human case data. Across all three viruses, models and human case data both show that transmission occurs between 18–34°C with maximal transmission occurring in a range from 26–29°C. Controlling for population size and two socioeconomic factors, temperature-dependent transmission based on our mechanistic model is an important predictor of human transmission occurrence and incidence. Risk maps indicate that tropical and subtropical regions are suitable for extended seasonal or year-round transmission, but transmission in temperate areas is limited to at most three months per year even if vectors are present. Such brief transmission windows limit the likelihood of major epidemics following disease introduction in temperate zones

PHOSPHORUS-CONTAINING N-METHYLENEAMINE TYPE COMPOUNDS - SYNTHESIS, STRUCTURE, AND REACTIVITY

GALLIOT C, CAMINADE AM, DAHAN F, MAJORAL JP, Schoeller W. PHOSPHORUS-CONTAINING N-METHYLENEAMINE TYPE COMPOUNDS - SYNTHESIS, STRUCTURE, AND REACTIVITY. INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. 1994;33(26):6351-6356.Addition of paraformaldehyde to phosphonodihydrazides PhP(X)(NCH3NH2)(2), 1a (X = S) or 1b (X = O), led to 1,2,4,5,3-perhydrotetrazaphosphorines 4a or 4b and then to stable phosphonodihydrazones PhP(X)(N(CH3)N=CH2)(2), 6a (X = S) or 6b (X = O). Similarly, addition of paraformaldehyde to the hexahydrazino cyclotriphosphazene N3P3(NCH3NH2)(6) afforded a tris(1,2,4,5,3-perhydrotetrazaphosphorine 12, which in turn is transformed to the stable hexakis(N-methyleneamine)cyclotriphosphazine 13 by addition of paraformaldehyde. The crystal and molecular structure of 13 was examined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Treatment of 6a or 6b with the phosphanylium ion (iPr(2)N)(2)P+CF3SO3-, 15, gave a mixture of bicyclic phosphonium salts 17 and 18 or 19 and 20 respectively. A pyridinium salt 21 was prepared by reacting 6a with trifluoro acetic anhydride in the presence of pyridine. Interaction of the borenium salt (C5H9)(2)B+CF3SO3-, 22, with 6a led to the salt 23 [6a.2B(C5H9)(2).CF3SO3]

Ambrym, Vanuatu: First results from a seismic campaign (July-August 2000)

Ambrym is a large basaltic volcano with a 12-km-wide, 1,900 years old caldera, sited in the Vanuatu archipelago, formerly known as New Hebrides. Two cones are currently active in the caldera, named Marum and Benbow, each with several active vents that hosted visible lava lakes until 26 November 1999, when an earthquake (Mw = 7.5) located few km S of the volcano caused important changes to the vents morphology. During July 2000, we installed a short period seismic station on the Eastern rim of Benbow crater in the Western side of the caldera. The station acquired continuous data for about one month. During this period volcanic tremor was recorded together with discrete events. In this talk first results from the analysis of these data will be discussed, focusing the attention in particular on the existence of transitions in the long term volcano dynamics. During the observation period, on 9 August 2000, another significant earthquake was recorded, (mb= 6.3, about 65 km N of the volcano). Possible influences of this event on the volcano dynamics are investigated