The conference will start on the 1st of February (See the programme). 

The Final AIM-COST conference will be held in Rome next February 1st-2nd. The conference will be held in a hybrid format and we will send you a new communication a few days in advance.

The first day will be devoted to a summary of main Action achievements by WG and Task coordinators, followed by presentations on the impact of AIM—COST on selected AIM-COST grantees and stakeholders from the public health sector. The second day will be devoted to discussing possible scenarios of invasion by Aedes aegypti in Europe in order to optimize regional, national, and continental responses. Participants will be subdivided into 4 groups to discuss approaches and constraints, and this will be followed by a section on the plenary discussion of the group’s outputs. Lastly, we have a session devoted to discussing further perspectives beyond AIM-COST.

This time we are inviting a limited amount of participants with expenses covered by the AIM COST budget but, of course, anybody is welcome to participate at their own expense. The AC will be hybrid, with face-to-face participants and others able to follow online.

COST Association has informed us that there may be the possibility to obtain a budget top-up which would allow us to support a higher number of participants to participate face-to-face.

To apply for these extra funds, we need to have an estimate of people interested to participate in the Conference. Therefore, please fill out the Google form below no later than January 4th, if you are interested in being supported for participating and you are eligible to participate (see the eligibility chart).

https://forms.gle/9minomZQdvFw1zp57

Selection of participants to be supported will be done based on country-, gender-, age balance, and previous participation in AIM-COST activities. 

We will let you know by January 20th if your application is successful. In the meantime, we suggest you book accommodation (only if it is possible to cancel it) and NOT buy a flight ticket.

(Organizers: Jolyon Medlock, Willy Wint, Filiz Gunay, Alex Vaux)

   The workshop took place virtually on the 5th April 2022: 1300-1700 CEST (1200-1600 BST)

AIM Cost action has been working hard to develop guidance and information of the surveillance and control of Aedes Invasive Mosquitoes. There are many strategies that can be employed at a national, regional and local level, and by practitioners, entomologists and the community. One of the biggest challenges is how best to deliver effective communication to effect the changes in behaviour and best practice for maximum impact on the control of mosquitoes. Developing outreach strategies to engage communities with Citizen Science is key to mounting effective actions that lead to positive changes for improved health protection. Across the world, communities are challenged by the threats posed by urban mosquito vectors. Although there are many tools for surveillance and control, urban mosquitoes and associated diseases persist. As a medical entomology community can we improve our communication with the public? Are there ways in which we can deliver our outreach messages to deliver greater impact? With community engagement, is the control of urban invasive mosquitoes insurmountable?

The aim of the workshop is to expand the knowledge and share experiences in communication and outreach associated with Citizen Science schemes, with particular reference to Aedes invasive mosquitoes. This workshop will go beyond the world of mosquitoes and will have presentations from scientists in other disciplines and species groups.

The first session includes speakers engaged in:

• Communication of Citizen Science for invertebrates and wildlife recording schemes
• Engaging the public in recording other vectors (ticks) and strategies for targeting delivery of public health messages to individuals and communities
• Experiences in communication in the face of a mosquito disease outbreaks in North America.

The second session focuses on public health messaging:

• Experiences of invasive mosquito surveillance and control in Europe
• What can messaging around Covid tell us?

The third and fourth sessions focus on:

• How can behavioural scientists guide us to deliver messages that drive behaviour change?
• How do we engage the next generation in securing a future world free of invasive mosquitoes?

Programme of presenters available here...

YouTube videos of the workshop can be viewed below, they are split into two parts...

The third AIM-COST Annual Conference was held both online and on location in Istanbul and was hailed a great success by participants! Videos of the presentations and discussions from the Annual Conference 2nd-3rd September, Istanbul are being edited and will be made available online very soon.

Press release September 2021: Third Annual Conference of Aedes Invasive Mosquitoes COST Action Istanbul

3rd AIM-COST Annual Conference - Final Agenda  in English and Turkish 

You can view many of the talks from the AGM in Istanbul as videos online here...

The program included a number of talks from network  members selected by the scientific committee will focus on the following topics:

• Surveillance for precision AIM control
• Novel AIM control approaches
• Assessment for AIM control activities

Priority was given to presentations made by young researchers (i.e. MSc/PhD students or ECIs*). 

Local Organizers:

• Bulent Alten
• Filiz Gunay

Scientific Committee

• Ruben Bueno
• Alessandra della Torre
• Gregory L’Ambert
• Filiz Gunay
• Mihaela Kavran
• Antonios Michaelakis
• Andrei D. Mihalca
• Dusan Petric
• Francis Schaffner
• William Wint

Field assessment of Quality in Control Measures Against Aedes Invasive Mosquitoes TRAINING SCHOOL

Location: Valencia, SPAIN

Date: 13-24 September 2021

The Training School "Field assessment of Quality in Control Measures Against Aedes Invasive Mosquitoes".

This course was co-organized by:

• AIM COST Action
• The MediLabSecure European project.

The Local Organizers are the City Council of Valencia, University of Valencia and Lokímica.

The Training School aimed to provide comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge about entomological assessment of the efficacy of different control methods (including SIT) targeting Aedes albopictus. Classroom lessons complemented the extensive fieldwork on sampling larvae, pupae, adult males and females and "know how" transfer during field surveys. Also, participants were engaged in experimental design, analyses and interpretation of the results obtained.

Candidates were selected by the scientific committee based on their CV, motivation letter (not exceeding 250 words) following AIM-COST rules. Application by PhD students and ECIs* will be favoured. Gender balance and geographical heterogeneity, and availability to contribute to AIMSurv 2022 (as testified by a letter from the head of the group) will also be considered.

Scientific Committee: Alessandra della Torre, Ruben Bueno, Vincent Robert, Dusan Petric.

Official video:

Field Assessment of Quality in Control Measures against Aedes Invasive Mosquitoes from MediLabSecure on Vimeo.

Final agenda:
https://www.aedescost.eu/sites/default/files/2022-01/ValenciaSep2021_Agenda_v9FINAL.pdf

Proposed AIMSurv2022 Work Plan:
https://www.aedescost.eu/sites/default/files/2021-05/AIMSurv2022_WorkPlan.pdf

For more details on COST rules for Training Schools in: COST-094-21-Annotated-Rules-for-COST-Actions-Level-C-2021-11-01-1.pdf

AIM-COST Training School rules:
https://www.aedescost.eu/sites/default/files/2021-05/AIM-COST-TS-rules-v4-2021.pdf

* Early Career Investigator: within 8 years after completing a PhD/Doctorate degree

Previous training schools:

1st TRAINING SCHOOL - Harmonizing Aedes Invasive Mosquito (AIM) surveillance across Europe 13-17 Jan 2020

“How to use surveillance tools for an effective control" (Local Organizers: Antonios Michaelakis)

Location: Athens, Greece

28 June 2 July 2021

The aim of the workshop was the creation and production of 2 thematic videos on AIMs surveillance and control. Specifically, the first video will focus on the standard operational procedures (SOPs) for ovitrap field management and aims to provide a useful resource for public health officers and entomologists with limited experience in this subject, and will be develop in collaboration with the AIMSurv project (https://www.aedescost.eu/sites/default/files/2020-07/AIMCOSTPressRelease_AIMSurv29072020.pdf). The second video will focus on AIM’s breeding site identification and management for AIM’s control in urban areas. In addition to a version for public health officers and entomologists with limited experience on this subject, a second version for the general public will be also produced.

AIM-COST Action offered the opportunity for 4 young researchers (i.e. MSc/PhD students or ECIs¹)  involved in AIMSurv or AIM’s monitoring and control to participate to the workshop as a hands-on training opportunity. Travel expenses and accommodation in Athens will be covered by AIM-COST for selected applicants.

Candidates were selected by the scientific committee based on their CV and a motivation letter in English and not exceeding 250 words. Priority will be given to applicants from Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITCs²). Gender balance and geographical heterogeneity will be also taken into account. 

The successful candidates have been announced, congratulations to:

Maria Bourquia, ECI, F, MOROCCO
Sonia Cebrián Camisón, ECI, F, SPAIN
Mihaela Kavran, ECI, F, SERBIA
Gegham Pashinyan, ECI, M, ARMENIA

Scientific Committee: Alessandra della Torre, Filiz Gunay, Angeliki Martinou, Jolyon Medlock, Antonios Michaelakis, Dusan Petric, Francis Schaffner 

¹Early Career Investigator: within 8 years after completing a PhD/Doctorate degree.

²Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, the North Republic of Macedonia, Luxembourg, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey