Dengue virus infections are a serious public health problem worldwide. Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue in Cuba. As there is no vaccine or specific treatment, the control efforts are directed to the reduction of mosquito populations. The indiscriminate use of insecticides can lead to adverse effects on ecosystems, including human health. The sterile insect technique is a species-specific and environment-friendly method of insect population control based on the release of large numbers of sterile insects, ideally males only. The success of this technique for the sustainable management of agricultural pests has encouraged its evaluation for the population suppression of mosquito vector species. Here, we describe an open field trial to evaluate the effect of the release of irradiated male Ae. aegypti on a wild population. The pilot trial was carried out in a suburb of Havana and compared the mosquito population density before and after the intervention, in both untreated control and release areas. The wild population was monitored by an ovitrap network, recording frequency and density of eggs as well as their hatch rate. A significant amount of sterility was induced in the field population of the release area, as compared with the untreated control area. The ovitrap index and the mean number of eggs/trap declined dramatically after 12 and 5 weeks of releases, respectively. For the last 3 weeks, no eggs were collected in the treatment area, clearly indicating a significant suppression of the wild target population. We conclude that the sterile males released competed successfully and induced enough sterility to suppress the local Ae. aegypti population.

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Dengue virus infections are a serious public health problem worldwide. Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue in Cuba. Since there is no vaccine or specific treatment, the control efforts are directed to reduce mosquito populations. The indiscriminate use of pesticides can lead to increase insecticide resistance as well as adverse effects on human health. The sterile insect technique is a species-specific and environmental friendly method of insect control based on the release of large numbers of sterile males. The success of this technique in sustainable control of agricultural pests has encouraged its evaluation for mosquito control. Here, we describe an open field trial to evaluate the effect of the release of irradiated males on a wild population of Aedes aegypti. The case-control study was performed in a suburb of Havana, and compared the mosquito population before and after the intervention, in both control and treated areas. The wild population was monitored by an ovitrap network, recording frequency and density of eggs as well as their hatch rate. A significant induced sterility was observed in the field population, compared to the control. The ovitrap index and the mean eggs/ trap declined dramatically after an expected lag period of twelve and five weeks, respectively. For the last three weeks, no egg was collected in the treated area, evidencing a significant suppression of the wild population. We conclude that the sterile males released competed successfully, and induced enough sterility to suppress the local Aedes aegypti population.

RESUMEN El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo describir las oportunidades y los desafíos de los procesos de capacitación en la articulación de iniciativas regionales y nacionales de comunicación para la prevención de arbovirosis, usando como ejemplo las lecciones aprendidas en el contexto cubano. En febrero de 2016 y diciembre de 2017 profesionales del Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kourí participaron en la realización de talleres de fortalecimiento de capacidades de comunicación para la prevención de arbovirosis en la Atención Primaria de Salud con la incorporación paulatina de los más recientes enfoques promovidos por la Organización Panamericana de la Salud sobre el tema. Se capacitaron especialistas de diferentes perfiles profesionales a nivel nacional, provincial, municipal y de áreas de salud, se formaron y consolidaron equipos multidisciplinarios en los diferentes niveles, se asignaron y articularon tareas concretas a cada nivel, y se establecieron sitios de demostración de los enfoques de comunicación promovidos en los talleres. Asimismo, se identificaron necesidades de aprendizaje en comunicación social y se incorporaron a la estrategia nacional 2018-2021 actividades de capacitación del personal técnico y de monitoreo y evaluación con el objetivo de garantizar la implementación de acciones de comunicación y su sostenibilidad. No obstante, las instituciones participantes tendrán que afrontar desafíos propios de la comunicación en la prevención de las arbovirosis como, por ejemplo, la fluctuación del personal entrenado, la movilización de recursos para la comunicación, y la identificación de indicadores adecuados de evaluación.

A myriad of reasons, or a combination of them, have been alluded to in order to explain the lower susceptibility of children to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe forms of COVID-19. This document explores an additional factor, still little addressed in the medical literature related to the matter: nonspecific resistance to SARS-CoV-2 that could be generated by vaccines administered during childhood. The analysis carried out allows one to conclude that a group of vaccines administered during childhood is associated with a lower incidence and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection among pediatric ages. Looking from an epidemiological perspective, this conclusion must be taken into consideration in order to ensure greater rationality in the design and implementation of prevention and control actions, including the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, for these ages.