Strengthening Arbovirus Surveillance: Reflections and Next Steps

In our previous post on the Keystone Symposium, we wrote about the importance of building a field around Climate Sensitive Infectious Diseases (CSIDs). That conversation focused on how to bring together evidence from across disciplines to make a more robust case for CSIDs as an area of urgent scientific and policy attention. This post shifts from field building to field practice. It takes up one group of CSIDs, arboviruses, as a concrete example of where better evidence, stronger systems, and political commitment are urgently needed. Arboviruses, short for arthropod-borne viruses, include dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Because they are transmitted by mosquitoes and other biting insects, they are highly sensitive to climate change and urbanization.

In early July, CSIDNet was invited to join a two-day workshop hosted by the Wellcome Trust and Arctech Innovation on “Data and Analytical Tools to Address Research Gaps in Mosquito-Borne Infectious Diseases” in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The workshop aimed to build awareness of new findings from a landscaping review conducted by the Arctech Innovation team and to collectively reflect on future approaches to address key barriers identified. At the workshop, CSIDNet joined researchers, funders, and public health officials to ask: how can surveillance systems be improved to keep pace with the rapid and shifting spread of these diseases?

Rising risks: why arboviruses sharpen the case for CSIDs

The workshop opened with Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez of the World Health Organization (WHO) who underscored a reality now hard to ignore: arboviruses are expanding into regions where they were once unknown. France and other parts of Europe are already seeing local transmission of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. Dengue especially has surged, with 2024 on track to surpass 14.5 million reported cases worldwide, the highest number ever recorded.

These overlapping outbreaks make it clear that siloed approaches are insufficient. Because the same mosquito species often transmit multiple viruses, surveillance and response must be integrated. Arboviruses illustrate the larger challenge of CSIDs: interconnected risks that demand coordinated systems.

Real-time surveillance: what it takes to make data actionable

Until recently, many countries in the global Majority submitted dengue data just once a year, long after timely interventions were possible. WHO’s dengue dashboard now offers near-real-time monitoring across six regions, a welcome step forward. However, the workshop’s participants cautioned that speed without reliability can also mislead. Effective surveillance depends on three foundations: baseline data to anchor new signals; consistent case definitions so comparisons are meaningful; and resourced local units capable of generating and using data on the ground. With these in place, real-time systems can evolve into forecasting tools, helping predict when and where outbreaks are most likely. The lesson for CSIDs more broadly is clear: digital dashboards need to be paired with investment in the slow, careful work of building strong data foundations.

Tools and standards: avoiding fragmentation across CSIDs

The workshop was particularly focused on surfacing insights from a recent landscaping review presented by ArchTech Innovation and the University of Surrey. The review, which is expected to be made public later this year, revealed how fragmented arbovirus tools and platforms remain. Many are short-lived, built for one project or country, and rarely adapted elsewhere. This echoes findings surfaced in an earlier landscaping of CSID tools by Ryan et al. (2023). ArchTech found that while FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) are often cited, most datasets stop at “findable and accessible.” Without shared standards for data structures and metadata, the report found that interoperability remains elusive. Unfortunately, the same is true across other CSIDs: tools proliferate, but few connect. At CSIDnet, we hold that building a field means resisting tool fragmentation and prioritizing sustainability, collaboration across institutions and tools, and aiming for reuse.

Data sharing: a political challenge across all CSIDs

One of the strongest themes at the workshop was that data does not flow freely. Ownership, permissions, and politics determine what can be shared, when, and with whom. Governments may fear economic consequences of acknowledging outbreaks. Researchers face long Institutional Review Board (IRB) processes and unclear agreements on control and credit. Regional networks such as the Africa Center for Disease Control (Africa CDC) and the East Africa Disease Surveillance Network were cited as promising counterweights to national silos. But workshop participants stressed that incentives for data sharing, recognition for data producers, and trust among stakeholders are just as important as technical fixes. This resonates across all CSIDs: governance, not just technology, shapes whether data informs action.

What CSIDNet can contribute

Coming out of a season of gatherings and conversations (at Keystone, the Arbovirus workshop, and recent AGMs), it is clear that the emerging field of CSIDs must balance scientific rigor with political realities. For CSIDNet, this is not the moment to rush into building new tools or declaring standards of our own. Instead, it is a moment to convene the right people across disciplines, geographies, perspectives, and diseases, and to begin curating the evidence that makes the case for CSIDs as a field. It is also a time to better understand and document the models, tools, standards, and practices already taking shape in different contexts.

Over the coming months we will launch our first cohort of working groups, creating spaces for CSIDNet members to collaborate on identifying gaps in this emerging field, share lessons from ongoing efforts, and chart possible paths forward. Stay tuned for our upcoming announcement with more details!