A new alliance of citizen-science organizations and UN Environment has been launched to escalate the global fight against mosquito-borne diseases - responsible for killing close to 2.7 million people each year.

Overall mosquito-borne cases are estimated at 500 million every year, according to figures released by the World Health Organization.

The new initiative, launched under the name ‘Global Mosquito Alert’, brings together thousands of scientists and volunteers from around the world to track and control mosquito borne viruses, including Zika, yellow fever, chikungunya, dengue, malaria and the West Nile virus.

It is the first global platform dedicated to citizen science techniques to monitor mosquito populations.

Agreement to launch the initiative was reached at a two-day workshop that took place in Geneva on 4 April organized by UN Environment, the Wilson Center’s Science and Technology Innovation Program, and the European Citizen Science Association.

“The Global Mosquito Alert will offer for the first time a shared platform to allow people on the ground to share their observations and information with a large body of scientists to help them monitor emerging trends in real time and leverage citizen science for the global surveillance and control of disease-carrying mosquitos,” said Jacqueline McGlade, Director of Science at UN Environment.

The Global Mosquito Alert will be supported by a consortium of data and information providers, coordinated through Environment Live, the dynamic UN knowledge platform, designed to collect, process and share the world's best environmental science and research.

Built and maintained by UN Environment, the platform provides real-time open data access to policy makers and the general public, using distributed networks, cloud computing, big data and improved search functions. Managers will be able to mitigate risk and reduce health threats while citizens will have the chance to contribute their mosquito observations and possible solutions.

The programme is expected to move forward as a collaboration involving the European, Australian and American Citizen Science Associations as well as the developing citizen science community in Southeast Asia.

For more information – including a full list of consortium members - click here or contact shereen.zorba@unep.org