In April, Frederic Bartumeus and Alex Richter-Boix, members of the CSIC and Mosquito Alert team had the opportunity to participate in the WSA Global Congress held in the region of Los Lagos, Southern Chile, as winners of the WSG 2023.

At the congress, the team presented the Mosquito Alert tool developed by CSIC and UPF, an integral part of the E4Warning project aimed at enhancing the capabilities of monitoring and managing vectors and mosquito-borne diseases. Over recent years, the tool has proven its effectiveness and impact by detecting the early presence of invasive mosquitoes –like the tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus– that can act as vectors, as well as capturing and modelling the dynamics of their populations, contributing to improving the management of mosquitoes in cities like Barcelona, Spain, in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Barcelona (ASPB) which are also partners of E4Warning.

The theme of this year’s WSA Congress, “planet_hack_,” was aptly chosen to highlight the urgent need to address climate change and the expanding opportunities for technological and environmental innovations that accompany this challenge. Participation in the event allowed to not only share the achievements and the impacts of the Mosquito Alert tool but also to engage with other innovators, fostering a network of contacts.

The congress was a celebration of impact entrepreneurship, aligning perfectly with the UN’s global goals and providing a platform for like-minded pioneers to connect and exchange ideas. The team returned energized, ready to build on the substantial progress already made in public health surveillance and excited about the promising new collaborations that arose from this inspiring event.

Read more about the event and the 2023 winner’s catalog here: https://wsa-global.org/2024/01/10/wsa-global-congress-2024-goes-chile/