Author: Tuyet Anh Tran

With 75% of the disease burden concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region, ASEAN and the World Health Organization (WHO) choose June 15th as Dengue Day^[1].

According to WHO, dengue cases have reportedly increased from 505,430 cases in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2019. 

2023 witnessed the highest number of dengue cases, with over 6.5 million cases and more than 7,300 dengue-related deaths, affecting over 80 countries in all WHO regions. The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries in the WHO Regions of Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific. 

In Vietnam, one of the largest dengue outbreaks happened in 2022 with over 367,000 dengue cases and 140 deaths reported (according to the General Department of Preventive Medicine, Vietnam Ministry of Health)^[2]. 

Several factors are associated with the increasing risk of spread of the dengue epidemic: the changing distribution of the vectors (chiefly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes), especially in previously dengue native countries; the consequences of El Niño phenomena in 2023 and climate change leading to increasing temperatures and high rainfall and humidity; fragile health systems amid the COVID-19 pandemic; and political and financial instabilities in countries facing complex humanitarian crises and high population movements. 

Community engagement matters in dengue control. 

In the context of rising threats from dengue, involving and engaging the community becomes an urgent matter in global and national dengue control strategies. Research in 2015 found that household contacts who live in the same housing complex as confirmed patients are at increased risk of dengue, particularly in highly populated urban areas^[3] while a study conducted in an urban area in Vietnam in 2019 revealed several community barriers that dengue programs have to face including a lack of communication skills from the health sector and low awareness and readiness from the community^[4]. 

To effectively engage with dengue patients and the high-risk dengue infection community, OUCRU’s Dengue group has cooperated with the Public and Community Engagement Group to organise a series of health talks at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and OUCRU’s office. Other than providing trustworthy health science information about dengue to raise public awareness about dengue transmission, and prevention strategies for the community to implement at home, the project team also aimed to educate the local patient community about clinical trials knowledge, therefore enhancing the public’s understanding and acceptance, support the upcoming dengue antiviral prophylaxis trial, especially in recruitment. 

Through this series of community engagement and involvement events, there were almost 400 participants from diverse backgrounds and educational and awareness levels actively engaged in the events. With more than 60 questions being asked, our dengue researchers and HTD doctors helped community members to answer the strongest concerns as well as build their trust, aiming for their support in further research in general, and dengue clinical research in particular. 

This project serves as a valuable lesson on how to communicate effectively with participants from diverse backgrounds and explore several barriers while engaging with the community to improve in future projects such as how to compromise the project team’s goals and the community’s concerns, how to trigger their interest in complex ideas such as trials and research, and barriers on gathering their opinions and feedback including educational and other uncontrollable factors. 

This dengue public engagement project is funded by Seed Awards, an initiative specified for researchers to implement their public and community engagement, aiming to raise awareness on the impact of such project on research agenda, build capacity to conduct public and community engagement projects and encourage researchers to integrate this component in their research process.  

References:  

1. HCDC. What is ASEAN Dengue Day?. Avaiable at https://hcdc.vn/hoidap/index/chitiet/Ccs74b#:~:text=Tr%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Bc%20nguy%20c%C6%A1%20lan%20r%E1%BB%99ng,ki%E1%BB%83m%20so%C3%A1t%20c%C4%83n%20b%E1%BB%87nh%20n%C3%A0y.
2. World Health Organization. Dengue Situation Updates 2023. WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific. 2023; https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/365676. Accessed March 23, 2023. 
3. Anders KL, Nga le H, Thuy NT, et al. Households as foci for dengue transmission in highly urban Vietnam. PLoS neglected tropical diseases. 2015;9(2):e0003528. 
4. Nguyen-Tien T, Probandari A, Ahmad RA. Barriers to Engaging Communities in a Dengue Vector Control Program: An Implementation Research in an Urban Area in Hanoi City, Vietnam. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2019;100(4):964-973. 

People who feel more connected to others have lower levels of anxiety and depression. Some studies show they also have higher self-esteem, greater empathy for others, and are more trusting and cooperative.  

Social support and connections are particularly important during crisis time. A research study of over 37,000 students at Vietnam National University of Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCMC) that was animated by Collab Lab, our youth-led initiative, showed that 84.5% of college students chose to stay connected with family and friends to help them overcome COVID-19’s social restrictions’ challenges. A scoping review shows that 83% of studies reported that social support benefited symptoms of depression.  

Let’s delve deep into the essential role of community and the sense of connection as well as how you can find, build, and get help from the community.  

Who is a community that we are talking about? 

In the broadest sense, community is where we feel like we are a part of something bigger than ourselves and share positive connections. This can happen even with strangers who are not in your social and family circles but share the same beliefs with you.  

What can a community offer? 

The most powerful benefit of a community is offering support. Community members can help each other during life’s challenges, and reassure each other about our togetherness, therefore boosting self-esteem and creating positive social feedback.  

The Dangers of Loneliness 

Though it’s common to feel lonely at times, persistent loneliness can adversely affect well-being. People low in social connection are more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, antisocial behavior, and even suicidal behaviors. A landmark survey showed that lack of social connectedness predicts vulnerability to disease and death beyond traditional risk factors such as smoking, blood pressure, and physical activity.  

Research has found that, while loneliness is more likely a common social issue with elderly people, young people could suffer from it. This may be due to several factors, including heavy use of social media (and the tendency to compare with others’ lives) or the irreversible profound effect on young people’s mental health, particularly social anxiety during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Practical steps to find your community and maintain social connections 

Mental Health Foundation suggests some tips on whether to form your community or find one suited to your needs. 

• Join groups aligned with your identity or passions 

• Support groups involving professional experts  

• Volunteer at local animal shelters, environmental projects, or awareness campaigns. 

• Connect with neighbors to strengthen your local bonds and build a sense of local support for each other. 

• Engage in online communities.