Citizen science on vector-borne diseases (disease-transmitting animals):

SDG(s)

Sustainable Development Goal(s)

3Good health and well-being

5Gender equality

11Sustainable cities and communities

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Type of project

Contributory project: It is designed by members of the scientific community, and citizens participate in data collection. Collaborative project: Citizens participate in data collection and analysis. Co-created project: Citizens participate in all stages of the scientific process.

Overall goal

Examine the distribution of mosquitoes involved in vector transmission of pathogens. Promote healthy practices producing a positive change in urban habitats and human habits by eliminating locations where disease-transmitting arthropod vectors (mosquitoes) complete their life cycles. Provide tools that contribute to constructing new subjectivities of the project’s participants and, through their involvement, of the community.

Specific goals

Collectively design and implement a method for quantitative monitoring of mosquito populations involved in vector transmission of pathogens by placing biological sensors. Follow up the monitoring of biological sensors and data records to establish a diagnosis of the neighborhoods’ environmental health. Encourage eco-friendly habits that contribute to the community’s well-being to avoid the proliferation of breeding sites and thus prevent vector-borne diseases.

Description of citizen participation

Citizens make very simple devices, called biological sensors (BS), made of glass jars, tongue spatulas, and metal clips (to hold the wooden sticks on the rim of the jar) that are placed at homes according to the behavior of the Aedes aegypti, that is, places with shadows and, if possible, vegetation around (yards, parks, gardens, balconies, flowerbeds, etc.). The information of every BS is recorded on forms including different informative columns to carry out an in-depth analysis in situ. All the wooden sticks are stored in sample bags and duly labeled for future revision through a magnifier or microscope. In in-person tool demonstration and training workshops, work groups are formed to exchange information using WhatsApp groups throughout the experience. Participants share photos, videos, and form notes weekly. At the end of the experience, a workshop is organized to look at all the wooden sticks collected from the biological sensors under a stereo microscope and discuss the observation. If there is a large quantity of data, a session is held to quantitatively assess the collected information.