Tackling the global health threat of arboviruses: An appraisal of the three holistic approaches to health

Abstract

Background: The rapid circulation of arboviruses in the human population has been linked with changes in climatic, environmental, and socio-economic conditions. These changes are known to alter the transmission cycles of arboviruses involving the anthropophilic vectors and thus facilitate an extensive geographical distribution of medically important arboviral diseases, thereby posing a significant health threat. Using our current understanding and assessment of relevant literature, this review aimed to understand the underlying factors promoting the spread of arboviruses and how the three most renowned interdisciplinary and holistic approaches to health such as One Health, Eco-Health, and Planetary Health can be a panacea for control of arboviruses. Methods: A comprehensive structured search of relevant databases such as Medline, PubMed, WHO, Scopus, Science Direct, DOAJ, AJOL, and Google Scholar was conducted to identify recent articles on arboviruses and holistic approaches to health using the keywords including "arboviral diseases", "arbovirus vectors", "arboviral infections", "epidemiology of arboviruses", "holistic approaches", "One Health", "Eco-Health", and "Planetary Health" Results: Changes in climatic factors like temperature, humidity, and precipitation support the growth, breeding, and fecundity of arthropod vectors transmitting the arboviral diseases. Increased human migration and urbanization due to socio-economic factors play an important role in population increase leading to the rapid geographical distribution of arthropod vectors and transmission of arboviral diseases. Medical factors like misdiagnosis and misclassification also contribute to the spread of arboviruses. Conclusion: This review highlights two important findings: First, climatic, environmental, socio-economic, and medical factors influence the constant distributions of arthropod vectors. Second, either of the three holistic approaches or a combination of any two can be adopted on arboviral disease control. Our findings underline the need for holistic approaches as the best strategy to mitigating and controlling the emerging and reemerging arboviruses.

Arbovirus surveillance in mosquitoes: Historical methods, emerging technologies, and challenges ahead

“…15 Recent studies on the transmission of arboviruses by mosquitoes have focused on understanding the factors that influence transmission, such as the abundance and behavior of the mosquito population, and the role of human behavior in promoting the spread of viruses. 16,20,21 Most studies have focused on developing new control strategies aimed at reducing the population of mosquito vectors, such as the development of genetically modified mosquitoes and the use of the endosymbiont Wolbachia which can reduce or block the transmission of arboviruses. 22 - 24 It is crucial to acknowledge the significant role of vaccination in combating these diseases.…”

“…In recent years, the incidence of arbovirus infections has significantly increased in humans. 14 – 16 Since their discovery, several other mosquito species have been implicated in the transmission of arboviruses (Table 1). 17,18…”

Dengue Virus Surveillance and Blood Safety: A One Health Perspective

“…The only way to solve such problems is to initiate a strategy that integrates all activities in human health, animal health, and environmental preservation into a single system. Different professional leaders and decision-making organs come together collectively to establish an interdisciplinary approach to the treatment of health issues in different communities [48]. Other stakeholders, including global organizations, national governments, and the research community, apply the One-Health approach as a holistic mechanism to combat the spread of infectious diseases.…”

Arthropod-borne encephalitis: an overview for the clinician and emerging considerations

“…Several models predict that the spread of A. aegypti and A. albopictus will dramatically widen in the upcoming years, with spread into typically unaffected regions and up to a 13% increase in habitable vector regions, thus heightening potential human–vector contact 82 83. Additionally, dramatic shifts in geographic distribution of arboviruses have occurred because of human activities such as population growth, increased urbanisation and international travel 84. The combination of these forces has concurrently increased human exposure to vector populations through encroachment of natural habitats, created more favourable living environments for breeding vector populations and spread potential pathogens to areas typically not inhabited by them 85 86…”