Résumé
In Brazil, the arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti include dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. In 2024, the country experienced the worst dengue epidemic in the last 40 years, with approximately 5 million cases and more than 3,000 deaths reported by May (MS, 2024). According to the 2022 demographic census, Brazil has 11,403 favelas, home to approximately 16 million people (IBGE, 2022), who are permanently exposed to Ae. aegypti. Vertically planned vector control strategies are often detached from the realities of the favelas, contributing to the endemicity of arboviruses in large cities. In many of these areas, there are considerable obstacles to the implementation of traditional vector control methods (Wermelinger et al., 2023), such as a lack of sanitation, inaccessible properties, and a routine of violence caused by the increasing territorialization of armed criminal groups (Fernandes et al., 2008). Is it possible to evaluate alternative methods of controlling Aedes aegypti in favelas, relying on the participation of local agents? Would these agents have better access to the territory? These questions guided the proposal of Entomofavela—a pilot project in Maré, a neighborhood composed of 16 favelas with 150,000 inhabitants in Rio de Janeiro. The three most densely populated favelas were selected for Aedes surveillance. Young locals from these areas were trained at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute/Fiocruz to carry out the project, which consists of mapping the areas, defining the samples, distributing ovitraps, identifying Aedes species, surveying vector density, and assessing the socio-environmental determinants related to mosquito reproduction. The importance of the role of popular agents for vector control in vulnerable territories will be evaluated. Surveillance data will be discussed with community organizations and partner institutions to drive feasible control and preventive measures in the context of the climatic crisis and its effects on local health.