Due to climate change and globalization the risk of introduction and expansion of exotic arthropod vectors, such as Aedes albopictus, and autochthonous transmission of arboviruses, like dengue virus, has increased in Europe. In 2022, sixty-five autochtonous cases of dengue were identified in metropolitan France. This increase is largely attributed to the geographical expansion of the vector Aedes albopictus. To prevent the emergence of those vector-borne diseases, there is a need to better identify and prioritize high-risk territories and periods to implement targeted prevention and vector control. Pachka Hammami and her team developed a multi-level model including the population dynamics of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in a temperate environment and the epidemiological dynamics of dengue. They presented a Graphical User Interface (GUI) designed to support surveillance and control of arboviruses in Europe. Based on the developed model, the R/Shiny application provides a facilitated way to run complex simulations taking into account spatial and temporal variability in temperature and rainfall as well as spatial variation in land cover, population density and mobility patterns. The tool allows users to easily design and test epidemiological scenarios. Visualization tool for exploring the simulated outputs includes key figures summaries, epidemic curves, spatial visualization of inputs, risk maps, and temporal curve of epidemic indicators.
Presentation held by Pachka Hammami, modeler and epidemiologist, during the latest edition of the MOOD Science Webinar on September 27th 2023. |