Promoting citizen science through monitoring of the Aedes aegypti by high school students

Dengue is serious on our island, where about 99% of all locally acquired US cases occur. In this project, we are training students in a secondary allied school from the PRDoE in San Juan, Puerto Rico an area with high incidence. The objectives of the study are 1) to achieve awareness and understanding of Ae. aegypti, the pathogens they transmit and the environment in which they breed and live; 2) increase understanding of the physical control of immature stages of Ae. aegypti; and 3) demonstrate scientific skills: careful observation, scientific illustration, data collection, and written/oral expression. To achieve these goals, students were tested on their knowledge of vector management, biology, and vector-borne diseases. Joined educational sessions on Ae. aegypti biology, identification, surveillance, control, and mobile app for yard inspections. Build an adhesive trap in various colors (red, blue, and black) to evaluate their attraction to gravid female mosquitoes. Students deployed nine traps for each color in their school. Surveillance has a duration of nine weeks (March-May 2023). As a result, the students increase 3% in knowledge, 4% in positive attitudes, and 17% in good practice. A total of 54 capture chambers had female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes on which PCR tests were performed, none were positive to DENV. The red trap was the most effective in capturing Ae. aegypti females, followed by the black and blue trap. Common breeding sites found in yard inspections: buckets and plastic bottles. Most students primarily used emptying and brushing to eliminate breeding sites.