Community Engagement for Wolbachia-Based Aedes aegypti Population Suppression for Dengue Control: The Singapore Experience

Abstract

Despite a long-running and comprehensive national dengue control programme, Singapore continues to experience regular outbreaks of dengue. The Environmental Health Institute of the Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA) is thus evaluating a Wolbachia-based combined Incompatible and Sterile Insect Technique approach (IIT/SIT) as a dengue control strategy. This approach involves field releases of irradiated male Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquitoes, with the aim of further suppressing the urban Aedes aegypti mosquito population and reducing dengue transmission. Since the beginning of our project, we considered community education and engagement as a key factor for the success of the field studies. We have therefore conducted extensive groundwork to share and consult with, and engage a wide range of stakeholders, including residents at the study sites, the general public, the medical and scientific communities, and government agencies. In this chapter, we outline our strategy for engaging residents at the study sites and the general public (two primary stakeholder groups), focusing on the key principles around which we have built our approach.