Utilizing citizen science to model the distribution of Aedes aegypti in West Africa

In a rapidly urbanizing region such as West Africa, Aedes mosquitoes pose an emerging threat of infectious disease that is compounded by limited vector surveillance. Citizen science has been proposed as a way to fill surveillance gaps by training local residents to collect and share information on disease vectors. Increasing citizen science efforts can begin to bridge the gaps in our current knowledge of Aedes distribution while engaging locals with mosquito control and public health efforts. Understanding the distribution of disease vectors in West Africa can inform researchers and public health officials on where to conduct disease surveillance and focus public health interventions. We aimed to compare citizen science data to published literature observations of Aedes mosquitoes and to quantify how incorporating citizen science changes our understanding of Aedes mosquito distribution in West Africa. We utilized citizen science data collected through NASAs GLOBE Observer mobile phone application and data from a previously published literature review on Aedes mosquito distribution to examine the contribution of citizen science to understanding the distribution of Ae. aegypti in West Africa using Maximum Entropy modeling. Combining citizen science and literature-derived observations improved the fit of the model compared to models created by each data source alone, but did not alleviate location bias within the models, likely due to lack of widespread observations. Understanding Ae. aegypti distribution will require greater investment in Aedes mosquito surveillance in the region, and citizen science should be utilized as a tool in this mission to increase the reach of surveillance.

Perceived Stress at Work and Associated Factors among E-Waste Workers in French-Speaking West Africa

Perceived stress at work is an important risk factor that affects the mental and physical health of workers. This study aims to determine the prevalence and factors associated with perceived stress in the informal electronic and electrical equipment waste processing sector in French-speaking West Africa. From 14 to 21 November 2019, a cross-sectional survey was carried out among e-waste workers in five countries in the French-speaking West African region, and participants were selected by stratified random sampling. Participants were interviewed on socio-demographic variables and characteristics related to e-waste management activities using a questionnaire incorporating Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (10-item version). Factors associated with perceived stress were determined by multivariate logistic regression. A total of 740 e-waste workers were interviewed. The mean age of the workers was 34.59 ± 11.65 years, with extremes of 14 and 74 years. Most of the interviewees were repairers (43.11%). The prevalence of perceived stress among the e-waste workers was 76.76%. Insufficient income, number of working days per week, perceived violence at work, and the interference of work with family responsibilities or leisure were the risk factors that were the most associated with perceived stress. The high prevalence of perceived stress and its associated factors call for consideration and improvement of the working conditions of e-waste workers.