[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/9271\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EObservations from space help scientists get one step ahead of the tiny but deadly mosquito \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESome of the deadliest animals have the smallest bites. It is a stark fact that every year more than a billion people succumb to diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika and yellow fever. Each year these infections, carried and transmitted by bloodsucking mosquitos, account for some \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/vector-borne-diseases\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E700,000 deaths\u003C\/a\u003E globally. Malaria, which represents more than half of these, is tragically most lethal for children aged under five.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EEndemic already across sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America, there are warning signs these diseases are coming closer to home for those in Europe. Global trade and travel offer routes for mosquitoes to spread. Changing weather patterns, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ecdc.europa.eu\/en\/climate-change\/climate-change-europe\/vector-borne-diseases\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ecompounded by climate change\u003C\/a\u003E, provide the conditions for species once consigned to history books to re-establish populations in Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGlobal swarming \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThis threat is illustrated most visibly on the dashboard of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/epidemics.space.noa.gr\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEarly Warning System for Mosquito Borne Diseases\u003C\/a\u003E (EYWA). Its charts for malaria, dengue, Zika, Chikungunya and West Nile virus all show a similar, worrying, upward trajectory. Since 2008, malaria cases across Europe have risen by 62%, dengue, Zika and Chikungunya are up by a remarkable 700%, and cases of West Nile virus spiked dramatically in 2018.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The problem is really big,\u2019 said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/members.noa.gr\/kontoes\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDr Haris Kontoes\u003C\/a\u003E, Research Director at the Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.noa.gr\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ENational Observatory of Athens\u003C\/a\u003E and EYWA network coordinator. \u2018It was always a big problem considering that millions of people are affected worldwide, but in the last 10\u0026nbsp;years these diseases have been increasingly transmitted in Europe, even northern European countries,\u2019 he explained.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHighlighting \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ecdc.europa.eu\/en\/news-events\/risk-infectious-diseases-flood-affected-areas-european-union\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Erecent extreme flooding events\u003C\/a\u003E, which have seen mosquito numbers swell by up to ten times in Germany, Kontoes believes our changing climate is fuelling this trend, and the problem is growing: \u2018In the past, these diseases were known mainly in tropical zones, but the impact of climate change is altering ecosystems and the development of mosquito populations across Europe.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGetting ahead of the curve\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EBefore EYWA we didn\u2019t know with much detail the specific areas that represented high risk of transmission of pathogens.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Haris Kontoes, EYWA Network Coordinator\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn response, Kontoes and his team in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.beyond-eocenter.eu\/index.php\u0022\u003EEO BEYOND Center\u003C\/a\u003E at NOA, in collaboration with core partners, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ecodev.gr\/en\/ecodev-english\/\u0022\u003EEcodevelopment\u003C\/a\u003E, and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.atmosphere-upatras.gr\/\u0022\u003ELaboratory of Atmospheric Physics of the University of Patras\u003C\/a\u003E, and colleagues from 13 more partner organisations from France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Serbia, developed EYWA.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe system is helping local officials to get one step ahead of a mosquito outbreak by providing a vital early warning to take preventative action. It combines advanced modelling with Earth Observation data from the Copernicus satellites, alongside latest health, entomological (the branch of zoology concerned with the study of insects), citizen and environmental insights.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EEYWA was recently awarded the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/news\/eic-horizon-prize-early-warning-epidemics-commission-awards-eu5-million-winning-project-2022-jan-17_en#:~:text=The%20winner%20of%20the%20%E2%82%AC5%20million%20EIC%20Horizon,diseases%20such%20as%20malaria%2C%20dengue%2C%20or%20yellow%20fever.\u0022\u003EEuropean Innovation Council\u2019s (EIC) Horizon Prize on Early Warning for Epidemics\u003C\/a\u003E, netting \u20ac5 million to further expand.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Before EYWA we didn\u2019t know with much detail the specific areas that represented high risk of transmission of pathogens,\u2019 said Kontoes. \u2018With EYWA we have precise, and more detailed knowledge about the settlements mosquitos are expected to develop. Knowing this in advance, public health authorities can take early measures to combat the mosquito presence.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESuch preventative measures include intensified spraying in high-risk zones, but also targeted door-to-door campaigns to encourage residents to avoid leaving standing water in tanks where mosquitoes breed. The campaigns also involve mobilising a scientific community to deploy mosquito traps.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Knowing the population and level of mosquitos infected by viruses from trap data, we can have a much clearer idea of the precise epidemiological and entomological threat,\u2019 Kontoes explained. In the nine European regions where EYWA has been operational over the past three years, there has been a massive reduction in mosquitos by up to half. Over the long term, this could drastically cut the numbers of people getting seriously ill.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team are also using mobile apps, such as \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ecodev.gr\/en\/mosquito-vision-2\/\u0022\u003EMosquito Vision and e-bite\u003C\/a\u003E, to develop better interactions with citizens about current mosquito alert levels.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENew insights from citizen science \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EKontoes and partners are not alone in spearheading ambitious tech-driven solutions to the growing mosquito threat. Computational ecologist \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.theelab.net\/team\/frederic-bartumeus\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EProfessor Frederic Bartumeus\u003C\/a\u003E from the Higher Council of Scientific Investigations in Catalonia, Spain, has devoted his entire career to analysing animal movement data. But, from baboons in the savannah to seabirds in the Pacific, events turned his focus to human\u2013mosquito ecological interactions in 2013.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There were lots of tiger mosquitos in north-east Spain and I wanted to help tackle an issue affecting my region,\u2019 he said. His solution? A new mobile app that encourages citizens to play the role of scientists by taking pictures of mosquitoes and recording their bites to complement data and improve the accuracy of model predictions.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFast forward seven years and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.mosquitoalert.com\/en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMosquito Alert\u003C\/a\u003E, the app Bartumeus and social scientist John Palmer developed, has had hundreds of thousands of downloads. And it seems asking users to take photos of mosquitos and record their bites is surprisingly popular:\u0026nbsp;\u2018People love it! And over time we build a picture of abundance and activity, which we can use to sort and identify species thanks to machine learning,\u2019 he added.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EThere were lots of tiger mosquitos in north-east Spain and I wanted to help tackle an issue affecting my region.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Frederic Bartumeus from the Higher Council of Scientific Investigations in Catalonia, Spain\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EMosquito Alert is a key part of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ceab.csic.es\/en\/the-farseer-project-has-been-a-finalist-for-the-european-innovation-council-eic-innovation-awards\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EFARSEER: The next generation early warning system for disease vectors\u003C\/a\u003E, one of the other finalists for the EIC Horizon Prize. FARSEER fuses citizen science from Mosquito Alert with smart traps that automatically identify species and advanced modelling integrated into a spatial decision support system. It has already been demonstrated at the municipal level in Barcelona.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor public health officials, this system offers timely and targeted risk maps to a high degree of accuracy \u2013 down to 20\u0026nbsp;metres. For scientists, it is an open project that should speed up finding solutions. For citizens, it\u2019s a two-way public engagement process that both relies on their insights and helps build their awareness.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDealing with dengue in Southeast Asia \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team behind the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.d-moss.org\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDengue forecasting MOdel Satellite-based System\u003C\/a\u003E (D-MOSS), another of the EIC Horizon Prize finalists, has the challenges posed by dengue fever in Southeast Asia firmly in their sights.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The main reason we\u2019re focusing on dengue is because it is the fastest spreading mosquito-borne disease in the world, the number of people living in areas at risk of dengue outbreaks has increased substantially due to environmental change, and at the same time there is no specific treatment,\u2019 explained \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iahr.org\/individual-member\/user?member_no=84257\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EDr\u0026nbsp;Gina Tsarouchi\u003C\/a\u003E from the research organisation \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrwallingford.com\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EHR Wallingford\u003C\/a\u003E, which leads the consortium.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ED-MOSS triangulates satellite data with the latest local insights from partners on the ground about dengue cases, principally in Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Its aim is simple: to provide intelligence months in advance to help officials better target resources and control outbreaks.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Traditionally, countries take action only after dengue cases have reached a certain level. D-MOSS helps them to take pre-emptive action which in the long-run will help them save resources and save lives,\u2019 Tsarouchi said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThanks to strong relationships with local partners where it is operational, the D-MOSS team have helped co-design the tool so that it responds to their specific needs. Part of this development has been training for local officials, which has helped them get a clearer understanding of how to interpret and apply the probabilistic forecasts D-MOSS produces.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Of course, the tool can only go so far,\u2019 said Tsarouchi. \u2018It can, for example, give you a 60% probability of an outbreak in a province of Vietnam in three months\u2019 time. But it cannot tell you exactly what to do with that information.\u2019\u0026nbsp;There are separate conversations taking place with health ministries, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), to determine threshold levels for preventative action.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELooking ahead\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESo, what is the future for these systems, and could there be an opportunity for working together?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EEYWA is currently expanding its network \u2013 only this year it has added two new non-European countries, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire and Thailand, to the system. It is now collaborating with the European Commission\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/departments\/joint-research-centre_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EJoint Research Centre\u003C\/a\u003E to support authorities in addressing future pandemic risk and set new EU standards.\u0026nbsp;It was also recently integrated as a pilot under \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/e-shape.eu\/\u0022\u003Ee-shape\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 the flagship project to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/research-and-innovation\/knowledge-publications-tools-and-data\/knowledge-centres-and-data-portals\/eurogeo_en\u0022\u003EEuroGEO\u003C\/a\u003E initiative. EuroGEO is the European contribution to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.earthobservations.org\/index.php\u0022\u003EGroup on Earth Observations\u003C\/a\u003E (GEO) and aims to bring together all of the environmental and Earth observation resources available in Europe so that they can be used more effectively.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor FARSEER, the team will continue to focus on developing its individual components and look for opportunities to expand. \u2018I\u2019m very optimistic about the future,\u2019 said Bartumeus. \u2018I think what we\u2019re trying to do is going to be the standard in mosquito-borne disease control. These ideas of generating different source data, networking data and communities, are here to stay.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAs for D-MOSS, the team behind it will look to expand its reach into other parts of Asia \u2013 Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand are all targets. Tsarouchi is positive about its future and its potential impact: \u2018We can make D-MOSS available to any country that needs it, and it can lead to a reduction in dengue cases.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd as for the collaboration possibilities between the three finalists? \u2018There is certainly a possibility to complement one another going forward,\u2019 said Kontoes. \u2018We will look for common opportunities and try to see if there are possibilities of joining forces.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Ch5\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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