Dengue seroprevalence and intervention studies
Ongoing cluster randomized controlled trial for Aedes control in Dhaka, Bangladesh (2023-2027)
A mixed methods cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) to measure the effectiveness of community mobilization in reducing dengue incidence in children is being implemented in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In 2023-2024, we conducted a pilot study, and data collection for the cRCT began in early 2025.
The project aims to determine if an EcoHealth intervention based upon community mobilization reduces the risk of dengue virus infection among 2 to 12 years olds compared to usual dengue control practice.
Implementation science evaluations will allow us to understand how the intervention brings about sustainable change, the influence of context on the intervention, and the potential for transferability and scaling up.
The baseline data collection (questionnaires and finger prick blood samples) was completed in May 2025, followed by an entomological (adult mosquito) assessment. The intervention phase began in February 2026 with community meetings and intervention co-design workshops in 30 clusters, and the implementation and follow-up of community-designed interventions. Intervention activities are being implemented throughout the 2026 dengue season (April to October), followed by endline data collection from November 2026 to January 2027.
Pilot study results
Funding by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Co-investigators: Malay Kanti Mridha of the BRAC University James P. Grant School of Public Health; Mohammad Shafiul Alam of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b); Valéry Ridde of the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), France.
Research team: Mollah Mohd. Shamsul Kabir, Jony Barnard Mackfield, and Sakib Rahman, Anamul Hasan, and Md. Fahad Zamil.
Our partners
Sustainable, healthy cities: a cluster randomized controlled trial for Aedes control in Brazil (2018-2020)
A cRCT was started in Fortaleza, Brazil, to measure the effectiveness of community mobilization in reducing dengue incidence in children. In 2020, the baseline data collection was forced to stop due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this disruption and challenges faced with instability in the field, we made the decision to end the study in Fortaleza and reconstitute the trial in Dhaka. However, several publications from the study in Fortaleza are available.
Relevant publications:
Funding by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).