Abstract
The tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is the vector of several major arboviruses, including dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. The vector-borne diseases caused by these viruses are increasing worldwide. In Europe, autochthonous cases of dengue fever are regularly recorded and have recently increased. In addition, arbovirus epidemics occurs in French overseas departments such as La Réunion, for over twenty years. To be effective, the control of Aedes albopictus requires a strategy that combines and integrates several control methods, including chemical and biological control, mechanical destruction of breeding sites and social mobilization. Social mobilization is a major factor in effective mosquito control. Although a number of awareness-raising tools exists, and the general public is familiar with good practices for the control of Aedes albopictus, it is still necessary to move on to concrete action and get people committed to it. This calls for the development of new tools to raise public awareness of their role and the importance of their actions in the collective fight against the tiger mosquito. Thus, we developed the collaborative board game Stop Aedes aiming to (1) promote good practices in social mobilization to control Aedes albopictus, (2) initiate dialogue between stakeholders, including citizens, and (3) reinforce collective action. Following an iterative process including development and field-testing phases between 2022 and 2023, a version of the board game adapted to the context of La Réunion has been developed. The aim of the game is to eliminate all potential breeding sites in courtyards, gardens and streets of a neighbourhood. A version adapted to the European context is currently under construction, and the game will also be adapted to other contexts, such as the control of Aedes aegypti in Brazil.