Addressing Needs of Foreign Schoolchildren to Combat a Global Epidemic of Dengue Virus Infection: Transnational and Trans-Sectoral Initiatives

Abstract

SummaryThis study highlights the demand for conducting outreach to foreign demographics in countries affected by infectious diseases. The increasing global burdenof mosquito-borne Dengue virusinfection suggests that local health education efforts need to include the population’s foreign segments. Communicating information in their mother tongue and empowering them with knowledge of local diseases and preventive measures is essential when foreign residents cannot fully understand the local language(s). This paper presents an example of transnational and trans-sectoral initiatives in anti-dengue education, which involved 1,105 Japanese schoolchildren in Singapore. Paying attention to cross-cultural, language, and other elements, an academic from a university, a medical doctor from Japan, and a medical entomologist from a Singapore governmental agency collaborated. Lessons included the importance of building capacity among schoolteachers in order to engage schoolchildren. Conducting outreach to foreign residents will be increasingly important when a new technology is introduced as a preventive measure or when scientific evidence must be communicated to combat a global epidemic. Otherwise, key messages might remain unnoticed and ineffective in motivating people to take necessary action. Transnational and trans-sectoral collaboration could be a solution to sustain outreach efforts for public health. Graphical Abstract/Art Performance The code of this chapter is 01101001 01110011 01110101 01010110 01110010.