MI-dengue: An Innovative Technology For Gps Monitoring Aedes Aegypti Population on Webpage At Real Time

Abstract:
Dengue has been considered as the most important airborne disease in Brazil. Limitations in the laboratory identification of immature Aedes aegypti and processing of field data based on larval surveys led to the development of the “Intelligent Dengue Monitoring” technology (MI-Dengue) (www.midengue.com.br). MI-Dengue consists of a sticky trap that captures gravid female Ae. aegypti, coupled with a computerized system for field data collection and access to geo-referenced maps in real time with an online web interface. Weekly geo-referenced maps and an entomological indicator provide information to health authorities on infested areas and infestation levels, colour-coded according to the number of captured female Ae. aegypti, and indicated risk-free (green), dengue alert (yellow), and critical situations (red). These levels correlate with transmission thresholds, and are being used to prioritize areas and direct vector control resources. Preliminary analyses have also shown that vector control directed to hot spot areas have reduced the adult mosquito abundances as well as dengue cases. At the moment, over 40 Brazilian cities are currently using MI-Dengue Technology. The cost of such technology is less tha US$ 1 per person per year. More recently, the system has also been used to obtain data on the infection status of all mosquitoes routinely collected. Preliminary data are intriguing and have demonstrated spatial and temporal clustering by dengue serotype, evidence of infected mosquitoes in proximity to clinical cases, clinical cases in the absence of infected mosquitoes, and infected mosquitoes in the absence of cases. Molecular epidemiological studies are anticipated to provide higher resolution information regarding the most important locations of suspected transmission.