GLOBAL News - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Highlights from the GLOBE Zika Education and Prevention Project: Latin America and Caribbean Region
The GLOBE Zika Education and Prevention Project is well underway in the GLOBE Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Region! Funded by the U.S. Department of State, this invaluable project enlists citizen scientists in Zika-affected regions in the collection and mapping of mosquito data. The GLOBE LAC region has successfully completed its Country Mosquito Trainings (CMTs), which train public health officials, teachers, and community leaders in using the Mosquito Habitat Mapper, within the GLOBE Observer app, to limit the spread of mosquito-borne disease.
A recent CMT took place in Ayolas, Paraguay; it was held in collaboration with the hydroelectric power station, Yacyreta. Teachers, public officers, and environmental and health professionals participated in the training. For most participants, it was the first time they were introduced to The GLOBE Program. One participant, Marisol Viana, said that training in the Mosquito Habitat Mapper protocol is important because it makes it possible for citizens to prevent and fight diseases that have already caused many deaths at the country level. Professor Dalia Salinas de Fernández, another participant, said that the Mosquito Habitat Mapper App is useful for city officials in Ayolas, as well as for officials belonging to larger institutions and government departments.
The next phase of the GLOBE Zika Education and Prevention Project will be the Local Mosquito Workshops (LMWs), where those trained at CMTs will engage in the “train-the-trainer” approach in order to expand the number of citizen scientists involved in the project.
The GLOBE Zika and Education Project would like to thank the following schools for their exceptional data collection efforts:
- J. Haselhoef, Anton de Kom University/ Environmental Science, Suriname: 22 data entries
- A. Zeitune, CEF 08 Sobradinho DF, Brasila, Brazil: 13 data entries
- N. Ridaie, Anton de Kom University/ Environmental Science, Suriname: 10 data entries
To learn more about this critical project, click here.
type: globe-newsNews origin: GLOBE Implementation Office