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DengueDI-MOBNCT06599970

Improving Disease Prevention Strategies by Integrating Socio-spatial Characterization of Human Mobility

An observational study of Dengue and Arbovirus Infections, run by Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium at 1 site in Cuba.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

In contrast to the trend expected based on existing prediction models, dengue incidence was historically low during the pandemic mobility restrictions of 2020-2021 in most dengue endemic countries. This highlights that current transmission models do not correctly take human mobility into account. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 19 to 75 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Dengue, Arbovirus Infections, Epidemic Disease
How many people
810 participants
Where
1 siteCuba
Study dates
1 Jun 2024to 30 Jun 2027
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 19 to 75 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Research will take place in Cienfuegos municipality, Cuba, with a population of 178 776 inhabitants. For the epidemiological and entomological data, routine surveillance info will be used, which covers the entire municipality. For mobility patterns characterisation, for example the mobility survey: we selected (based on epidemiological patterns) 5 sentinel Popular Councils. Within each, 4 consultorios and their area of coverage were selected. In the consultorium exists a health registry, a list of all persons in the consultorium catchment area. Participants will be selected from the health registry by a random process using the RANDBETWEEN function in Microsoft Excel, within a range of 1 to upper limit equal to the total number of patients in the registry.

Who may be able to join

  • Being a resident of the sentinel Popular Council/consultorio
  • Being >= 19 years of age
  • Being willing and able to provide written informed consent

Who cannot join

  • being below 19 or above 75 years old

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Cuba1 site

  • Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kouri

    Havana, La Habana

Other trials in Cuba

About this study

Official title: Improving Disease Prevention Strategies of Epidemic Spread by Integrating Socio-spatial Characterization of Human Mobility, Environmental Typology and Mathematical Modelling in an Urban System of Cuba

In contrast to the trend expected based on existing prediction models, dengue incidence was historically low during the pandemic mobility restrictions of 2020-2021 in most dengue endemic countries. This highlights that current transmission models do not correctly take human mobility into account. Within a pilot-study in Cienfuegos, South-Central Cuba, we will characterise the epidemiological spread and distribution of dengue outbreaks (2012-2025) in districts repeatedly involved in previous dengue outbreaks as initiating, case-concentrating or transmission sustaining areas. This will be linked with fine-grained mobility data and socio-spatial characterizations of commuting flows and population hubs where people are concentrated during day-time (time when transmission happens). This information, together with entomological and environmental risk-data, will be used to i) improve the accuracy of mathematical dengue models, ii) better understand the transmission process and iii) inform and improve the design of disease control strategies. The project will contribute to much-needed evidence-based guidance for public health actors on improved prevention strategies of epidemics dispersion and where and when to implement control measures.

Read the detailed description

Using epidemiological data and human mobility data, integrated with other multiple-sourced data, this study examines the interplay between disease spread and intra-city mobility (within a city).

The study is ambi-spective, using retro- and prospective routine surveillance data (2012-2025) on dengue cases and Aedes entomological data, to describe the fine-scale spatio-temporal characterization of dengue transmission in Cienfuegos municipality.

To characterise human mobility within the municipality of Cienfuegos, information related to recurrent and seasonal movements will be collected. Several types of data will be triangulated to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the population's mobility (matrix of human mobility). In this way, six prospective data collection activities are planned:

  1. Mobility survey: The conduct of a mobility survey with adults. The purpose of this survey is to gather prospective information regarding recurrent mobility, and retrospective information about seasonal mobility. Study subjects include adults, elderly, and indirectly, young children through the specific inclusion of young mothers.
  2. Student survey: Questionnaire about mobility of a sample of students in pre-university and university on recurrent and seasonal mobility.
  3. School registers: Consultation of school registers to capture information on school-related recurrent mobility of children of school-going age.
  4. Vacation stories: Within a two-weeks time after the holidays, teachers are always doing a 'vacation story exercise' within their class. We will ask the teachers of selected classes in the sentinel schools to group this information on the number of children travelling outside the Cienfuegos municipality during holidays (seasonal mobility).
  5. Workplace register: Consultation of workplace registers to capture information on work-related recurrent mobility of adults.
  6. Call Detail Records: Anonymized and grouped information about house-work/school locations of cell phone users obtained from cell phone company (recurrent movement).

In a third step, the above information will be brought into a mathematical model, explaining mobility within transmission dynamics, which will be validated in a prospective way allowing to identify shortcomings and adjust the model where needed.

In a last step, the various types of collected data will be assembled and discussed together for the elaboration of potential dengue (and integrated) control strategies and presented for validation with local stakeholders.

Being tested
No intervention
Keywords
human mobility, transmission modelling, socio-spatial characterization
Medical subject headings
Dengue, Arbovirus Infections, Health Behavior

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • No interventionOther

    This is an observational study. No experimental interventions included. The mobility of people will be studied.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. dengue incidence

    multilevel spatio-temporal characterization of dengue transmission dynamics, focussing on transmission propagation heterogeneity in time and space

    Measured: 2012-2025

  2. human mobility

    origen-destination matrices will be built, based on information collected in mobility survey, school and workplace registries, vacation stories, phone data, student survey and in-depth interviews

    Measured: 2024-2026

Secondary outcomes (4)

  1. entomological risks for dengue transmission

    entomological indicators (monthly data collection of immature stages 2012-2025; monthly surveys of adult stages Aedes mosquitoes 2024-2025)

    Measured: 2012-2025

  2. climate

    temperature (° degrees celsius, daily minimum, daily maximum, weekly average) and rainfall (mm/day)

    Measured: 2012-2026

  3. Mathematical transmission model

    Stochastic mobility-driven spatially explicit DENV model based on the two primary outcomes of this study

    Measured: 2024-2026

  4. socio-spatial characterisation of public spaces

    hourly population densities (number of persons present for more than 5 minutes present) in different rooms/areas of densely frequented public spaces (schools, markets, factories)

    Measured: 2024-2026

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted19 Sep 2024
  2. Study start1 Jun 2024
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Jun 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Ecologic or community
Time perspective
Other
Enrolment
810 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06599970
Sponsor's protocol ID
756227
Acronym
DI-MOB
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
19 Aug 2024
Last updated
22 Apr 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Dengue and Arbovirus Infections, run by Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium at 1 site in Cuba.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 22 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Cuba. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

dengue incidence (time frame: 2012-2025). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06599970.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 22 Apr 2026.

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