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Vector-Borne Diseases (VBDs), including malaria, arboviruses, Lyme diseases, leishmaniasis and many others, have become an important public health threat across the globe due to rapid climate change. This is due to the alteration of the geographical distribution of vectors, which in turn amplify the spread of diseases. In this article, we highlight climate change as an emblematic driver of vector-borne diseases, as well as explicate its positive correlation with the increased prevalence of vector-borne diseases, citing relevant studies as evidence. Consequently, we recommend that researchers from different disciplines, including ecologists, metagenomics and modeling experts, climate scientists, microbiologists, wildlife experts, entomologists, public health scientists, social scientists, religious and community leaders, legal practitioners, and policy-makers, should work together under the One Health approach supported by government and political leaders to mitigate the global threat of vector-borne diseases.

Media's ability to enhance the salience of certain topics for the public and affect governmental policy-setting processes is widely recognized. This is particularly evident in health communication, where newspapers are one of the most important sources of health information. This study compares media depictions of tick-borne disease in the United States and China, attempting to enhance newspaper influence in health information delivery in both countries. The United States and China are experiencing an increase in tick-borne diseases and have vastly different media landscapes. To investigate US and Chinese newspaper coverage of tick-borne diseases, a content analysis was conducted of four US and four Chinese newspapers. The analysis considered length, tone, chief actors, and themes present in articles covering tick-borne diseases from January 2010 to August 2015. The findings revealed significant differences between the two nations on length of the articles, chief actors portrayed in the articles, and themes present in the articles. According to Agenda setting theory, media to public communication is not one way, on the contrary, public react to the media and media coverage reflects public preferences. The data showed that tick-borne disease stories were overwhelmingly framed in a neutral way in both nations; newspapers in the US featured more celebrity-related stories compared to newspapers in China; and Chinese government controlled newspapers as opposed to the US ones have leading impact to their domestic newspapers. Generally, to shape public health behavior and reduce tick-borne disease risk, the US newspapers can frame more celebrity related stories in the report and Chinese government owned newspaper can take the initiative to cover more tick-borne disease news.

Background Climate-based disease forecasting has been proposed as a potential tool in climate change adaptation for the health sector. Here we explore the relevance of climate data, drivers and predictions for vector-borne disease control efforts in Africa. Methods Using data from a number of sources we explore rainfall and temperature across the African continent, from seasonality to variability at annual, multi-decadal and timescales consistent with climate change. We give particular attention to three regions defined as WHO-TDR study zones in Western, Eastern and Southern Africa. Our analyses include 1) time scale decomposition to establish the relative importance of year-to-year, decadal and long term trends in rainfall and temperature; 2) the impact of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on rainfall and temperature at the Pan African scale; 3) the impact of ENSO on the climate of Tanzania using high resolution climate products and 4) the potential predictability of the climate in different regions and seasons using Generalized Relative Operating Characteristics. We use these analyses to review the relevance of climate forecasts for applications in vector borne disease control across the continent. Results Timescale decomposition revealed long term warming in all three regions of Africa – at the level of 0.1–0.3 °C per decade. Decadal variations in rainfall were apparent in all regions and particularly pronounced in the Sahel and during the East African long rains (March–May). Year-to-year variability in both rainfall and temperature, in part associated with ENSO, were the dominant signal for climate variations on any timescale. Observed climate data and seasonal climate forecasts were identified as the most relevant sources of climate information for use in early warning systems for vector-borne diseases but the latter varied in skill by region and season. Conclusions Adaptation to the vector-borne disease risks of climate variability and change is a priority for government and civil society in African countries. Understanding rainfall and temperature variations and trends at multiple timescales and their potential predictability is a necessary first step in the incorporation of relevant climate information into vector-borne disease control decision-making.

Media's ability to enhance the salience of certain topics for the public and affect governmental policy-setting processes is widely recognized. This is particularly evident in health communication, where newspapers are one of the most important sources of health information. This study compares media depictions of tick-borne disease in the United States and China. Both countries are experiencing an increase in tick-borne diseases and have vastly different media landscapes. To investigate US and Chinese newspaper coverage of tick-borne diseases, a content analysis was conducted of four US and four Chinese newspapers. The analysis considered length, tone, chief actors, and themes present in articles covering tick-borne diseases from 2010-2015. The findings reveal significant differences between the two nations on length of the articles, chief actors portrayed in the articles, and themes present in the articles. The data also show: tick-borne disease stories were overwhelmingly framed in a neutral way in both nations; newspapers in the US featured more celebrity-related stories compared to newspapers in China; and US stories as opposed to those in China focused more on health policies.

Cities around the world are growing rapidly, giving rise to sprawling peri-urban areas in their surroundings. In coastal East Africa, residents of peri-urban areas find themselves frequently exposed to water-borne infectious diseases when untreated wastewater contaminates drinking water supplies. These areas often lack infrastructure for water, sanitation, and waste management, and due to their position outside municipal boundaries it can be unclear whose responsibility it is to provide services to their residents. Zanzibar, Tanzania has experienced this problem, and it will likely grow, as between sixty and seventy percent of residents of Zanzibar Town are currently living in unplanned or unauthorised settlements where the population is expected to double in less than twenty years (Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, 2013; National Bureau of Statistics, 2014). This thesis aimed to examine differences in vulnerability between members of the population of peri-urban Zanzibar Town and the factors that put them at risk of exposure to hazardous bacteria and pathogens. It asks the question, in a densely populated settlement that may appear close to homogeneous at first glance, what makes some people more likely to suffer from water-borne diseases than others? A combined approach including both water quality testing and qualitative interviews was used to analyse contributions of social, economic, institutional, and environmental factors in determining vulnerability of individuals and groups. Root causes of vulnerability were theorised using a combination of field data and a review of pertinent literature, and this was considered in tandem with observed variations in likely exposure to hazards. Selected study sites were the areas surrounding two wells in the neighbourhoods of Tomondo Mshelishelini and Kijito Upele. The quantity of faecal coliform and E. coli in some of the drinking water wells was quite high, indicating elevated exposure risk for many households. However, within a small spatial area, strategies used by households to prevent disease and clean water, and level of dependence on individual resources, varied greatly. These differences stem from a combination of environmental and socio-economic characteristics and also perception and awareness of impacts of using well water for household needs. In terms of preventing illness and mitigating exposure to pathogens, from the perspectives of interview subjects (both households and institutions) the responsibility seemed to lie mainly with individuals and households, rather than the government. Personal strategies such as handwashing and treatment of drinking-water were highly emphasized. This perception places the burden of adapting to hazardous conditions on vulnerable members of the community, rather than on government and institutional actors with far greater access to resources. To sustainably reduce disastrous impacts of diarrhoeal disease in peri-urban areas, the government of Zanzibar will need to accept a greater portion of the responsibility for providing safe and sufficient drinking water to all of its citizens. ; M-IES

Abstract Background Integrated vector management (IVM) based vector control is encouraged by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, operational experience with the IVM strategy has mostly come from countries with relatively well-established health systems and with malaria control focused programmes. Little is known about deployment of IVM for combating multiple vector-borne diseases in post-emergency settings, where delivery structures are less developed or absent. This manuscript reports on the feasibility of operational IVM for combating vector-borne diseases in South Sudan. Case description A methodical review of published and unpublished documents on vector-borne diseases for South Sudan was conducted via systematic literature search of online electronic databases, Google Scholar, PubMed and WHO, using a combination of search terms. Additional, non-peer reviewed literature was examined for information related to the subject. Discussion South Sudan is among the heartlands of vector-borne diseases in the world, characterized by enormous infrastructure, human and financial resource constraints and a weak health system against an increasing number of refugees, returnees and internally displaced people. The presence of a multiplicity of vector-borne diseases in this post-conflict situation presents a unique opportunity to explore the potential of a rational IVM strategy for multiple disease control and optimize limited resource utilization, while maximizing the benefits and providing a model for countries in a similar situation. Conclusion The potential of integrating vector-borne disease control is enormous in South Sudan. However, strengthened coordination, intersectoral collaboration and institutional and technical capacity for entomological monitoring and evaluation, including enforcement of appropriate legislation are crucial.

The importance of the role of information and education in the control and eradication of vector-borne diseases is well recognized. What is not so well recognized is the need for the fullest exploitation of this role on a national and global scale in the construction of control and eradication programmes. Such programmes are greatly hindered by ignorance and fear and the lack of fullest co-operation between all bodies concerned. Both the public and governments must be made aware of the importance of such programmes and the goals they would accomplish if carried out to finality. The success of eradication and control programmes can be completely prevented unless those who are to benefit are in a position to understand why these programmes are being undertaken, why they themselves should be participants, and why constant vigilance is required to prevent recurrence of the conditions that give rise to disease and untimely death. The author stresses the need for a properly staffed and well-serviced health education division within the framework of the national health organization, as well as the establishment of an epidemiological and statistical branch. Specific attention should be given to the integration within the school syllabus not only of basic health rules, but also of simple preventive medicine, with special relation to control or eradication programmes already in the course of execution.

Water quality and quantity is always an important issue in lowland ecosystem of Banyuasin. Low domestic water supply sanitation is considered as having an important contribution on the high frequency of waterborne diseases in the area. The study aims at recording water borne diseases and the water quality in the lowland area of Banyuasin District. This field research was conducted using a cross-sectional method. Total samples were 210 households in Telang which were observed during July through August 2011. Six water samples were measured for their physical and chemical properties, in addition to 1 water sample for bacteriological test. All respondents used river water for sanitary purposes and 41.4% of them also have dug wells. Those who used river water for sanitation, 68.5 % also consumed purified water for drinking purpose. All water samples are acidic (pH 5,68-6,19) and contain high Iron (1-26,269 Mg/L). Water has yellowish color. The major disease are diarrhea and skin diseases. In the lowland area with the estuarine ecosystem water quality and scarcity are serious problems. This in turn causes the high prevalent of waterborne diseases such as diarea. Low level of education and socio-economic status make it difficult for the local people to overcome these problems. Outside intervention especially government so as to improve the condition is needed

Land-use change has a direct impact on species survival and reproduction, altering their spatio-temporal distributions. It acts as a selective force that favours the abundance and diversity of reservoir hosts and affects host–pathogen dynamics and prevalence. This has led to land-use change being a significant driver of infectious diseases emergence. Here, we predict the presence of rodent taxa and map the zoonotic hazard (potential sources of harm) from rodent-borne diseases in the short and long term (2025 and 2050). The study considers three different land-use scenarios based on the shared socioeconomic pathways narratives (SSPs): sustainable (SSP1-Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 2.6), fossil-fuelled development (SSP5-RCP 8.5) and deepening inequality (SSP4-RCP 6.0).We found that cropland expansion into forest and pasture may increase zoonotic hazards in areas with high rodent-species diversity. Nevertheless, a future sustainable scenario may not always reduce hazards. All scenarios presented high heterogeneity in zoonotic hazard, with high-income countries having the lowest hazard range. The SSPs narratives suggest that opening borders and reducing cropland expansion are critical to mitigate current and future zoonotic hazards globally, particularly in middle- and low-income economies. Our study advances previous efforts to anticipate the emergence of zoonotic diseases by integrating past, present and future information to guide surveillance and mitigation of zoonotic hazards at the regional and local scale. This article is part of the theme issue 'Infectious disease macroecology: parasite diversity and dynamics across the globe'. ; Ford Foundation The David & Lucile Packard Foundation Aparece en contenido como:David and Lucile Packard Foundation ANID-Chile Fund PAI77180009 CONACyT PhD scholarship from the Government of Mexico ; Versión publicada - versión final del editor