Source: School of Public Health
Written by: Yuan Guili
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

In recent years, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases expanded due to increased urbanization, population density, and travel. Guangdong as a subtropical region, mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue have been occurring. Since 2013, dengue outbreak appeared continuously in Guangdong, seriously affecting human health, society and economy. Prof. Lu Jiahai’s team of School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, together with Queensland University of Technology, Zhongshan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, established a research site in Zhongshan, and then explored the relationship of dengue outbreak between Guangzhou city and Zhongshan city. Finally, through the analysis on climate, social, entomological and environmental factors, researchers developed a robust and reliable early warning model of dengue outbreak. The results have great value for dengue prevention and control.

Following the discovery that latent infection of dengue has an important effect on dengue outbreak in 2015, Prof. Lu’s team aimed at the key factors for dengue prevention and control, and carried out a series of studies for the purpose of early warning against dengue. The study also suggested that the application of One Health concept, multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary cooperation, is the most effective way to cope with emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. The results have been published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

One Health is a latest concept which can control emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and food safety issues effectively, and is also a global strategy of interdisciplinary collaboration and communication to improve human, animal and environmental health. It advocates the multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral and multi-regional cooperation and efforts to solve emerging infectious diseases like avian influenza and Ebola which caused global public health problems.