Giuseppe
Emeritus
[Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases, full page: (LINK). Abstract, edited.]
The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Early Online Publication, 17 May 2014 / doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(14)70781-9
Copyright ? 2014 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
Dengue outlook for the World Cup in Brazil: an early warning model framework driven by real-time seasonal climate forecasts
Original Text
Dr Rachel Lowe PhD a, Christovam Barcellos PhD b, Caio A S Coelho PhD c, Prof Trevor C Bailey PhD d, Giovanini Evelim Coelho PhD e, Richard Graham OBE PhD f, Tim Jupp PhD d, Walter Massa Ramalho MSc g, Marilia S? Carvalho PhD b, Prof David B Stephenson PhD d, Prof Xavier Rod? PhD a h
Summary
Background
With more than a million spectators expected to travel among 12 different cities in Brazil during the football World Cup, June 12?July 13, 2014, the risk of the mosquito-transmitted disease dengue fever is a concern. We addressed the potential for a dengue epidemic during the tournament, using a probabilistic forecast of dengue risk for the 553 microregions of Brazil, with risk level warnings for the 12 cities where matches will be played.
Methods
We obtained real-time seasonal climate forecasts from several international sources (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts [ECMWF], Met Office, Meteo-France and Centro de Previs?o de Tempo e Estudos Clim?ticos [CPTEC]) and the observed dengue epidemiological situation in Brazil at the forecast issue date as provided by the Ministry of Health. Using this information we devised a spatiotemporal hierarchical Bayesian modelling framework that enabled dengue warnings to be made 3 months ahead. By assessing the past performance of the forecasting system using observed dengue incidence rates for June, 2000?2013, we identified optimum trigger alert thresholds for scenarios of medium-risk and high-risk of dengue.
Findings
Our forecasts for June, 2014, showed that dengue risk was likely to be low in the host cities Bras?lia, Cuiab?, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, and S?o Paulo. The risk was medium in Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, and Manaus. High-risk alerts were triggered for the northeastern cities of Recife (phigh=19%), Fortaleza (phigh=46%), and Natal (phigh=48%). For these high-risk areas, particularly Natal, the forecasting system did well for previous years (in June, 2000?13).
Interpretation
This timely dengue early warning permits the Ministry of Health and local authorities to implement appropriate, city-specific mitigation and control actions ahead of the World Cup.
Funding
European Commission's Seventh Framework Research Programme projects DENFREE, EUPORIAS, and SPECS; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico and Funda??o de Amparo ? Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro.
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a Climate Dynamics and Impacts Unit, Institut Catal? de Ci?ncies del Clima (IC3), Barcelona, Spain; b Funda??o Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; c Centro de Previs?o de Tempo e Estudos Clim?ticos, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Cachoeira Paulista, SP, Brazil; d Exeter Climate Systems, College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; e Coordena??o Geral do Programa Nacional de Controle da Dengue, Minist?rio da Sa?de, Bras?lia, DF, Brazil; f Met Office Hadley Centre, Exeter, Devon, UK; g Faculdade de Ceil?ndia, Universidade de Bras?lia, Bras?lia, DF, Brazil; h Instituci? Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avan?ats, Barcelona, Spain
Correspondence to: Dr Rachel Lowe, Climate Dynamics and Impacts Unit, Institut Catal? de Ci?ncies del Clima (IC3), Doctor Trueta 203, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
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The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Early Online Publication, 17 May 2014 / doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(14)70781-9
Copyright ? 2014 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
Dengue outlook for the World Cup in Brazil: an early warning model framework driven by real-time seasonal climate forecasts
Original Text
Dr Rachel Lowe PhD a, Christovam Barcellos PhD b, Caio A S Coelho PhD c, Prof Trevor C Bailey PhD d, Giovanini Evelim Coelho PhD e, Richard Graham OBE PhD f, Tim Jupp PhD d, Walter Massa Ramalho MSc g, Marilia S? Carvalho PhD b, Prof David B Stephenson PhD d, Prof Xavier Rod? PhD a h
Summary
Background
With more than a million spectators expected to travel among 12 different cities in Brazil during the football World Cup, June 12?July 13, 2014, the risk of the mosquito-transmitted disease dengue fever is a concern. We addressed the potential for a dengue epidemic during the tournament, using a probabilistic forecast of dengue risk for the 553 microregions of Brazil, with risk level warnings for the 12 cities where matches will be played.
Methods
We obtained real-time seasonal climate forecasts from several international sources (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts [ECMWF], Met Office, Meteo-France and Centro de Previs?o de Tempo e Estudos Clim?ticos [CPTEC]) and the observed dengue epidemiological situation in Brazil at the forecast issue date as provided by the Ministry of Health. Using this information we devised a spatiotemporal hierarchical Bayesian modelling framework that enabled dengue warnings to be made 3 months ahead. By assessing the past performance of the forecasting system using observed dengue incidence rates for June, 2000?2013, we identified optimum trigger alert thresholds for scenarios of medium-risk and high-risk of dengue.
Findings
Our forecasts for June, 2014, showed that dengue risk was likely to be low in the host cities Bras?lia, Cuiab?, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, and S?o Paulo. The risk was medium in Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, and Manaus. High-risk alerts were triggered for the northeastern cities of Recife (phigh=19%), Fortaleza (phigh=46%), and Natal (phigh=48%). For these high-risk areas, particularly Natal, the forecasting system did well for previous years (in June, 2000?13).
Interpretation
This timely dengue early warning permits the Ministry of Health and local authorities to implement appropriate, city-specific mitigation and control actions ahead of the World Cup.
Funding
European Commission's Seventh Framework Research Programme projects DENFREE, EUPORIAS, and SPECS; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico and Funda??o de Amparo ? Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro.
______
a Climate Dynamics and Impacts Unit, Institut Catal? de Ci?ncies del Clima (IC3), Barcelona, Spain; b Funda??o Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; c Centro de Previs?o de Tempo e Estudos Clim?ticos, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Cachoeira Paulista, SP, Brazil; d Exeter Climate Systems, College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; e Coordena??o Geral do Programa Nacional de Controle da Dengue, Minist?rio da Sa?de, Bras?lia, DF, Brazil; f Met Office Hadley Centre, Exeter, Devon, UK; g Faculdade de Ceil?ndia, Universidade de Bras?lia, Bras?lia, DF, Brazil; h Instituci? Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avan?ats, Barcelona, Spain
Correspondence to: Dr Rachel Lowe, Climate Dynamics and Impacts Unit, Institut Catal? de Ci?ncies del Clima (IC3), Doctor Trueta 203, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
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