School based health education as an underutilized strategy for dengue prevention

Abstract Dengue is a rapidly expanding mosquito-borne viral disease and a recognized neglected tropical disease (NTD) with substantial population health impacts in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Despite sustained investments in vector control, dengue incidence has increased markedly over the past two decades, highlighting persistent gaps in prevention strategies—particularly among children and adolescents, who bear a disproportionate burden of infection. Schools represent an underleveraged but strategically important setting for dengue prevention, offering sustained access to young populations and opportunities to reinforce preventive behaviors within households and communities. This perspective article synthesizes evidence from multiple geographic contexts suggesting that school-based dengue health education improves knowledge, and to a more variable extent, attitudes, and preventive practices among students and, in some cases, their families and communities. However, these interventions are often short-term and peripheral within national dengue and NTD control frameworks. We propose a stepwise integration framework for embedding education within national strategies, complementing vector control and surveillance efforts, and advancing equity and health system resilience. Key implementation gaps include limited policy integration, variable program standardization, and insufficient linkage to long-term surveillance or community interventions. Strengthening dengue education among children may represent a scalable and sustainable opportunity to reduce NTD burden and improve population health outcomes in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 3.