Using network analysis to explore if professional opinions on Japanese encephalitis risk factors in Nepal reflect a socio-ecological system perspective

The study sought to understand if Nepalese experts responsible for Japanese encephalitis (JE) management conceived of its epidemiology in terms of a socio-ecological system, in order to determine whether they would consider ecohealth approaches. JE is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in the world. The epidemiology of JE depends on factors affecting vector ecology such as temperature, rainfall, and land use; pig rearing practices; population growth; and human migration. Network analysis suggests that experts did not conceive JE risk as a product of a socio-ecological system but in terms of a traditional vector host relationship