[Extract] Our central purpose is the development of more\ud
ethical, effective, stakeholder-directed and contextsensitive\ud
engagement strategies in Australia and\ud
Viet Nam. To achieve this, we use anthropology's\ud
proven systematic approach to social research to\ud
provide a platform for stakeholder engagement\ud
and draw on anthropological insights and research\ud
techniques to identify and develop solutions to\ud
issues that might impede the uptake of a biological\ud
initiative for dengue fever control (hereafter the\ud
Wolbachia method). At present, we are working\ud
closely with those likely to be affected by a Wolbachia\ud
intervention to negotiate, design and implement\ud
public engagement strategies in northern\ud
Australia and, from May 2009, in Viet Nam

McNaughton, Darlene

Reproduced in accordance with publisher's terms "The use of content from this health information product for all non-commercial education, training and information purposes is encouraged"Our central purpose is the development of more ethical, effective, stakeholder-directed and context-sensitive engagement strategies in Australia and Viet Nam. To achieve this, we use anthropology’s proven systematic approach to social research to provide a platform for stakeholder engagement and draw on anthropological insights and research techniques to identify and develop solutions to issues that might impede the uptake of a biologi-cal initiative for dengue fever control (hereafter the Wolbachia method). At present, we are working closely with those likely to be affected by a Wolba-chia intervention to negotiate, design and imple-ment public engagement strategies in northern Australia and, from May 2009, in Viet Nam

Flinders Academic Commons

Archived at the Flinders Academic Commons: http://dspace.flinders.edu.au/dspace/ ‘This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: McNaughton, D. (2010). The importance of social research for public engagement in bio-control releases: the case of the Eliminate Dengue project. In VL Crawford & JN Reza, ed. Progress and prospects for the use of genetically modified mosquitoes to inhibit disease transmission. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, pp. 48- 49. which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/TDR.10.978-924-1599238Copyright © World Health Organization on behalf of the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases 2010.Reproduced in accordance with publisher's terms "The use of content from this health information product for all non-commercial education, training and information purposes is encouraged"For research on diseases of povertyUNICEF • UNDP • World Bank • WHOProgress and prospects for the use of genetically modified mosquitoes to inhibit disease transmissionWorld Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 4-6 May 2009Report on planning meeting 1Technical consultation on current status and planning for future development of genetically modified mosquitoes for malaria and dengue controlEdited by Vallaurie L Crawford and Julie N Reza.Prepared by Anthony A James, John D Mumford, Stephanie L James and Yeya T Touré on behalf of the technical consultation working group.Design and layout by Philippe Casse and Lisa SchwarbCover picture: WHO/TDR/StammersPrinted in SwitzerlandWHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data: Progress and prospects for the use of genetically modified mos-quitoes to inhibit disease transmission.1.Animals, Genetically modified. 2.Mosquito control - methods. 3.Insect vectors - genetics. 4.Dengue - prevention and control. 5.Malaria - prevention and control. I.World Health Organiza-tion. II.UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases. III.Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (U.S.).ISBN 978 92 4 159923 8           (NLM classification: QX 600)Copyright © World Health Organization on behalf of the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases 2010All rights reserved.The use of content from this health information product for all non-commercial education, training and information purposes is encouraged, including translation, quotation and reproduction, in any medium, but the content must not be changed and full acknowledgement of the source must be clearly stated. A copy of any resulting product with such content should be sent to TDR, World Health Organization, Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. 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No elements of this information product, in part or in whole, may be used to promote any specific individual, entity or product, in any manner whatsoever.The designations employed and the presentation of material in this health information product, including maps and other illustrative materials, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WHO, including TDR, the authors or any parties cooperating in the production, concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delineation of frontiers and borders.Mention or depiction of any specific product or commercial enterprise does not imply endorsement or recommendation by WHO, including TDR, the authors or any parties cooperating in the production, in preference to others of a similar nature not mentioned ordepicted.The views expressed in this health information product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of WHO, in-cluding TDR. WHO, including TDR, and the authors of this health information product make no warranties or representations re-garding the content, presentation, appearance, completeness or accuracy in any medium and shall not be held liable for any dam-ages whatsoever as a result of its use or application. WHO, includ-ing TDR, reserves the right to make updates and changes without notice and accepts no liability for any errors or omissions in this regard. Any alteration to the original content brought about by display or access through different media is not the responsibil-ity of WHO, including TDR, or the authors. WHO, including TDR, and the authors accept no responsibility whatsoever for any inac-curate advice or information that is provided by sources reached via linkages or references to this health information product.48 PROGRESS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE USE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOSQUITOES Darlene McNaughtonSchool of Public Health, James Cook University, Cairns, AustraliaOur central purpose is the development of more ethical, effective, stakeholder-directed and context-sensitive engagement strategies in Australia and Viet Nam. To achieve this, we use anthropology’s proven systematic approach to social research to provide a platform for stakeholder engagement and draw on anthropological insights and research techniques to identify and develop solutions to issues that might impede the uptake of a biologi-cal initiative for dengue fever control (hereafter the Wolbachia method). At present, we are working closely with those likely to be affected by a Wolba-chia intervention to negotiate, design and imple-ment public engagement strategies in northern Australia and, from May 2009, in Viet Nam.Why use an anthropological approach ?Anthropology’s central contributions to sociologi-cal knowledge in the last century have been in establishing that all human knowledge is culturally and historically shaped, including people’s under-standings of disease, illness, cure and preventative measures.58, 59, 60, 61, 62 Many commentators have ar-gued that health interventions have been failing in part because they are based on a limited awareness of the complexity of local cultural contexts and the complexity of public interpretations and under-standings.61 This has led to a flurry of interest in anthropological methods in recent decades as these are noted for their sensitivity to context and rigor-ous examination of what people do, say and know, and the logics that underwrite these.63Lay knowledge of biological control and genetic modification Suarez et al.64 argue that “…we still do not know what dengue is culturally and what it means for in-dividuals in their everyday lives” (see also Slosek65 and Gubler and Meltzer66). The same could also be said about biotechnology and genetic modifica-tion, which as concepts, practices and technologies are relative newcomers to the public domain and public consciousness. In Australia, past attempts to assess lay understandings of biological control interventions (including those using new technolo-gies) have tended to focus on large-scale public opinion surveys. These often miss or barely scratch the surface of lay understandings, their history and the contexts in which they are generated. This is a real concern when decisions are being made on the basis of this research. It is especially crucial in the context of pest and disease management, where public knowledge and participation can be essential to the successful implementation of pro-grammes and where public perceptions of biologi-cal control interventions can “play a crucial role in determining whether a particular technology is developed and adopted”. 67, 68, 69Given this situation and the nature and complex-ity of the Wolbachia method, it is essential to gain a deeper understanding of stakeholders’ knowledge about, for example, dengue fever, its vectors and transmission, understandings of bacteria, nature, biological control and genetic modification. Our Australian research strongly suggests that those likely to be affected by a Wolbachia strategy bring a range of knowledge and assumptions to their en-gagement with and comprehension of this method. While at times stakeholder understandings mirror biomedical or entomological knowledge, they often diverge from these in very particular ways. Indeed, we are encountering a range of different yet consistent understandings and perceptions of dengue, biological control, genetic modification 8.13 The importance of social research for public engagement in bio-control releases :  The case of the Eliminate Dengue project49PROGRESS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE USE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOSQUITOES and bacteria in our research. This strongly suggests that local residents share certain assumptions about these issues that we can identify and address.Central to this approach is the idea that without  a clear understanding of such knowledge and  the deeply held cultural, ecological or political  assumptions that underwrites it, engagement strategies around new vector control methods will be less effective, less ethical and less authorizing at the stakeholder level than they could otherwise be. Unlike earlier studies, our approach includes a detailed, long-term and systematic investigation  of these “public knowledges” and the taken-for- granted assumptions that underwrite them. The results of this research can greatly improve our capacity to : 1) communicate the nature of a  Wolbachia intervention to a diverse population, 2) more fully comprehend stakeholder responsesand 3) provide greater assurance to all parties thatthe public understand what it is that they are beingasked to consider and evaluate. Thus, in our ap-proach to community engagement we work toidentify what people know and then use theseinsights to ensure that we are communicating withthe public in ways that allow stakeholders to graspwhat is being discussed and proposed, and whatthey are being asked to participate in and ultimate-ly to agree to.Deeper appreciation of lay knowledge opens up a space for the development of public engage-ment strategies that are potentially more ethical, nuanced, culturally sensitive and efficacious for informed decision-making by the public. This  approach also has facilitated the following activi-ties and outcomes at our Australian field site : • Identify, inform and engage the multiplepublics likely to be impacted by the Wol-bachia method through interviews, focusgroups and quantitative surveys and listen totheir responses, questions and concerns ;• Examine the taken-for-granted (i.e. cultural)socially and historically constructed discursivepractices and assumptions that underwrite theseresponses to improve our understanding ofstakeholders’ concerns and the socio-politicalsetting in which we are working (i.e. the releasesite, the political and regulatory environment) ;• Report these findings to stakeholders and thescientific team. Explore ways of respondingto these issues, through education, the media,schools, new forms of participation and newscientific research aimed at exploring specificquestions raised by the public ;• Explore and enact stakeholder-generated ideasregarding future engagement, communication,authorization and ownership.

The importance of social research for public engagement in bio-control releases : The case of the Eliminate Dengue project

[Extract] Our central purpose is the development of more

ethical, effective, stakeholder-directed and contextsensitive

engagement strategies in Australia and

Viet Nam. To achieve this, we use anthropology's

proven systematic approach to social research to

provide a platform for stakeholder engagement

and draw on anthropological insights and research

techniques to identify and develop solutions to

issues that might impede the uptake of a biological

initiative for dengue fever control (hereafter the

Wolbachia method). At present, we are working

closely with those likely to be affected by a Wolbachia

intervention to negotiate, design and implement

public engagement strategies in northern

Australia and, from May 2009, in Viet Nam

ResearchOnline at James Cook University

The importance of social research for public engagement in bio-control releases: the case of the Eliminate Dengue project

ResearchOnline@JCU

https://dspace.flinders.edu.au/xmlui/bitstream/2328/37682/1/McNaughton_Importance_P2010.pdf

The importance of social research for public engagement in bio-control releases: the case of the Eliminate Dengue project

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