Mosquito-Borne Disease Prevention in Africa- Network (MosquitoNET)

Sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by a great mosquito-borne disease burden as well as by the weakest public health infrastructure in the world. One of the key challenges that our proposal aims to tackle is to use digital technologies to combine surveillance and epidemic preparedness and response activities for priority mosquito-borne diseases. The infrastructure and level of support for surveillance, research and training on emerging infectious diseases in Africa are limited and our initiative is directly relevant to developing the necessary tools to accelerate these efforts.

The MosquitoNet partnership brings together researchers, industry, NGOs, policymakers and practitioners to develop digital solutions to development challenges caused by mosquito-borne diseases. The Network consists of a diverse group of experts and stakeholders from the UK and countries in sub-Saharan Africa, combining local expertise and experience with some of the latest digital innovations, to address current gaps and develop the regional capability for detection and response to mosquito-borne diseases.

Digitally-based technologies such as satellite data and communications, mobile phones, apps, tablets, telemedicine, 3D printing and medical drones can provide digital solutions which mostly by-pass traditional infrastructures or national regulations and cost less than the usual medical equipment. MosquitoNET will propose the development of digital technologies aiming to improve the reporting, monitoring and controlling of mosquito-borne disease, but also to incorporate aspects of health communications and managed healthcare for remote communities. This will cover the following areas:
- Forecasting and warning of MBDs using freely available earth observation data and satellite-based weather forecasts;
- Use of mobile phones to collect near real-time information on the outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases;
- Satellite-navigated drones to deliver medicines and diagnostic kits for mosquito-borne diseases;
- Telemedicine tools to enable the communication and sharing of medical information.

The vision for MosquitoNET is to see emerging and new digital innovations make a substantial impact in mosquito-borne diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The overall impact of MosquitoNET will be to improve Sub-Saharan African DAC nations' ability to control mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) through the partnership of their own experts with UK-based digital innovators. The network will build local capacity to report, monitor and control these diseases as part of the Digital Health thematic area, as well as building innovation and research capability through these partnerships. This includes increased access to relevant health care and control of MDBs for remote communities.

MosquitoNET will stimulate the research and development of new digital health innovations and create opportunities for them to be applied in multiple contexts and in a variety of recipient nations. As a result, the growth of the digital health sector in this area will ensure that more people will ultimately benefit from the applications, reducing the impact of MBDs on lives and economies. MosquitoNET will achieve this by creating new North-South and South-South partnerships. These partnerships will be formed around co-led digital health innovations and will include innovator-innovator and innovator-beneficiary relationships. A dialogue will be created around each innovation area so that the new links necessary for their success in the second round proposal will be formed, to result in meaningful and verifiable impacts.

MosquitoNET will build on research into the control, impact and forecasting of MBDs. Each innovation will be supported by publications verifying their potential and novelty. Early career stage scientists from Sub-Saharan Africa will have the opportunity to co-author these publications and participate in knowledge exchange with other network members. The opportunity for staff exchanges or mentoring as part of the joint innovation development activities will also be created as part of these processes. These will have a specific focus on reflection, evaluation and impact assessment since it is important that the digital innovations are capable of having a measurable impact on-the-ground, backed up by scientific evidence. Local experts will be encouraged to take the lead in these activities. Areas of innovation which are of current interest to the UK network members and which will seed the networks initial activities include: machine learning forecasting algorithms; use of new satellite Earth Observation data products; use of satellite guided drones; deployment of rapid diagnostic kits and accompanying point-of-care data capture.

The activities of MosquitoNET have been specifically designed to contribute to achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 9 and 17.

It will contribute to SDG Goal 3: 'Good health and well-being' specifically through Target 3.D: Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.

It will contribute to SDG Goal 17: 'Partnerships for the Goals', with particular attention to the Technology Target: Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism.

MosquitoNET will also contribute to SDG Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and specifically Target 9.B: Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities.