Some members of the E4Warning team attended the 23rd ESOVE Conference (European Society for Vector Ecology), held from October 14-17, 2024, in Montpellier, France. This edition was organized by the Vectopole Sud network, which includes research partners from the Occitanie region: Cirad, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, University of Montpellier, Toulouse Veterinary School, and EID Méditerranée, the main public vector control operator in France.

Catuxa Cerecedo (CEAB-CSIC) presented her talk titled “Integrating citizen and authoritative surveillance data in mosquito distribution models,” a study framed within the E4Warning project on the Session Surveillance systems, community-based surveillance and management of VBDs. Her research explores how to integrate mosquito observations collected by citizens using the Mosquito Alert tool with mosquito counts from traditional traps and assesses whether this integration improves habitat suitability models for mosquito species or provides additional insights into mosquito abundances. Exploring the integration of various data sources to model vector dynamics and abundance is one of the project’s key objectives.

The conference also featured presentations from other groups outside the consortium using data collected through Mosquito Alert, as well as studies testing the effectiveness of Vectrack smart traps developed by the partner IRIDEON.

The 2nd International One-Health Conference, held in Barcelona on October 19-20, 2023, saw a distinguished assembly of professionals from diverse fields come together to advance the multidisciplinary conversation on public health. Among the attendees was Frederic Bartumeus from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), who presented the groundbreaking work of E4Warning.

With health being an essential aspect of modern society, the conference set forth the goal of bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and policy-making through a One Health approach—a holistic and integrated perspective on health that considers human, animal, and environmental well-being. The event aimed to foster synergistic dialogues among research fields and action domains, engaging researchers, experts, students, and decision-makers.

Central to the congress were the framing questions that challenge current paradigms and seek to integrate the One-Health framework into the health sector comprehensively. Discussions revolved around the inclusion of the One-Health framework in legislation under the EU, understanding the interlinkages between health, climate change, and decision-making, and identifying the concerns health professionals have regarding the One Health concept. The conference sought not only to outline the open questions but also to explore opportunities and solutions to overcome barriers to implementing the One-Health approach.

In this context, Frederic Bartumeus presented E4Warning’s contribution to enhancing urban resilience capacities through the One Health approach. He outlined the innovative tools developed as part of E4Warning and the various methodologies employed to address the risks of mosquito-borne diseases within the framework of eco-epidemiological intelligence. His presentation shed light on the project’s interdisciplinary strategies for early warning and response, which are crucial in the context of a changing climate and emerging health threats.

Bartumeus’s participation underscored the pivotal role of E4Warning in providing actionable solutions and insights, reinforcing the importance of integrating scientific research with policy and decision-making. The conference also had the participation of Maria Feio from the University of Coimbra, who’s  contribution to the conference centered around the innovative OneAquaHealth project, which underscores the potential of earth observations to monitor changes in urban aquatic ecosystems that are pertinent to human health.

The 2nd International One-Health Conference was more than a meeting of minds; it was a step forward in operationalizing the One Health concept in a way that meets the pressing health challenges of our times.