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. 2020 Mar 2;14(3):e0008118. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008118

Projecting the future of dengue under climate change scenarios: Progress, uncertainties and research needs

Zhiwei Xu 1,2, Hilary Bambrick 1,2, Francesca D Frentiu 3, Gregor Devine 4, Laith Yakob 5, Gail Williams 6, Wenbiao Hu 1,2,*
Editor: Stuart D Blacksell7
PMCID: PMC7067491  PMID: 32119666

Abstract

Background

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease and its transmission is closely linked to climate. We aimed to review available information on the projection of dengue in the future under climate change scenarios.

Methods

Using five databases (PubMed, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Web of Science), a systematic review was conducted to retrieve all articles from database inception to 30th June 2019 which projected the future of dengue under climate change scenarios. In this review, “the future of dengue” refers to disease burden of dengue, epidemic potential of dengue cases, geographical distribution of dengue cases, and population exposed to climatically suitable areas of dengue.

Results

Sixteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and five of them projected a global dengue future. Most studies reported an increase in disease burden, a wider spatial distribution of dengue cases or more people exposed to climatically suitable areas of dengue as climate change proceeds. The years 1961–1990 and 2050 were the most commonly used baseline and projection periods, respectively. Multiple climate change scenarios introduced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), including B1, A1B, and A2, as well as Representative Concentration Pathway 2.6 (RCP2.6), RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5, were most widely employed. Instead of projecting the future number of dengue cases, there is a growing consensus on using “population exposed to climatically suitable areas for dengue” or “epidemic potential of dengue cases” as the outcome variable. Future studies exploring non-climatic drivers which determine the presence/absence of dengue vectors, and identifying the pivotal factors triggering the transmission of dengue in those climatically suitable areas would help yield a more accurate projection for dengue in the future.

Conclusions

Projecting the future of dengue requires a systematic consideration of assumptions and uncertainties, which will facilitate the development of tailored climate change adaptation strategies to manage dengue.

Author summary

Dengue is the most important arboviral disease globally, and the transmission of dengue is closely linked to climate. This review assembled all existing studies which have quantified the impact of climate change on dengue under climate change scenarios. We observed that most studies reported an increase in disease burden, a wider spatial distribution of dengue cases or more people exposed to climatically suitable areas of dengue as climate change proceeds. The years 1961–1990 and 2050 were the most commonly used baseline and projection periods, respectively. Multiple climate change scenarios introduced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), including B1, A1B, and A2, as well as Representative Concentration Pathway 2.6 (RCP2.6), RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5, were most widely employed. Instead of projecting the future number of dengue cases, there is a growing consensus on using “population exposed to climatically suitable areas for dengue” or “epidemic potential of dengue cases” as the outcome variable. Future studies exploring non-climatic drivers which determine the presence/absence of dengue vectors, and identifying the pivotal factors triggering the transmission of dengue in those climatically suitable areas would help yield a more accurate projection for dengue in the future.

Introduction

Dengue is the most important arboviral disease globally, with an estimated 390 million dengue infections per year [1] and causes an enormous economic burden to governments and households [2]. The number of deaths due to dengue is increasing in recent years [3]. It has been reported that over 3.9 billion people in 128 countries are at risk of dengue infection [4]. Climatic factors affect the occurrence of dengue by impacting on the life cycle and transmission of dengue viruses, as well as the growth and survival of dengue vectors (i.e., Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) [5]. Hence, the association between climatic factors and dengue has been widely researched [5]. For example, Li et al. have observed that climate-driven variation in mosquito density could predict the spatiotemporal dynamics of dengue in China [6].

Climate change is occurring and affecting human health and wellbeing [7]. As climate change continues, the global surface temperature will increase and the pattern of rainfall will change [8], which will affect the environmental suitability for the growth and survival of dengue viruses and mosquitoes, and may subsequently change the burdens of dengue globally, nationally, and locally. There has been an increasing number of studies projecting the future disease burden of dengue, epidemic potential of dengue cases, geographical distribution of dengue cases, or population exposed to climatically suitable areas of dengue under climate change scenarios [920]. Nevertheless, appreciable heterogeneity exists in these projections in terms of modelling approaches used and future scenarios adopted. Messina et al. have assembled the existing studies projecting the global future of dengue under climate change scenarios and have discussed the popular methods used in these studies [21]. However, regional or local studies were not included in the review of Messina et al.

In the present study, we attempted to review all available studies which projected the future disease burden of dengue, epidemic potential of dengue cases, geographical distribution of dengue cases, or population exposed to climatically suitable areas of dengue (hereinafter called “the future of dengue”) under climate change scenarios, identify the uncertainties in this field and propose the future research needs.

Methods

Data sources

Empirical studies projecting the future of dengue under climate change scenarios published up to 30th June 2019 were retrieved using PubMed, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Web of Science. The references of the identified papers were examined visually to make sure that all eligible papers were included in the final review.

Inclusion criteria

We restricted the search to peer-reviewed papers written in English. Our primary search used the following U.S. National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings (MeSH terms) and keywords: “dengue”, “climate”, “prediction”, “projection”, “forecast”, and “predicting”. Eligibility included those papers which projected the future disease burden of dengue, epidemic potential of dengue cases, geographical distribution of dengue cases, or population exposed to climatically suitable areas of dengue under climate change scenarios around the globe or in one country/city using at least one climate change scenario. Climate change scenario is defined as a description of the future change in climate under concrete assumptions on the future growth of greenhouse gas (GHG) and on other factors which may impact future climate. The most widely used climate change scenarios are those developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report, three climate change scenarios detailed in the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) were B1, A1B, and A2 [22]. In the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report, the emissions scenarios were called Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), and the four RCPs were RCP2.6 (low emission scenario), RCP4.5 and 6.0 (intermediate emission scenarios), and RCP8.5 (high emission scenario) [8]. Although the presence of vectors is essential for the occurrence of dengue cases, published papers solely projecting the future distribution of dengue mosquitoes were not included in this review because the main outcome-of-interest of this review is human health.

Results

We identified 2,449 articles in the initial search, and 16 of them entered the final review according to the inclusion criteria (Fig 1). The specific characteristics of these 16 articles are presented in Table 1.

Fig 1. The flow chart of literature selection process.

Fig 1

Table 1. Characteristics of the studies projecting the burden or geographical distribution of dengue under climate change scenarios.

Study Setting Baseline period Projection period Climate change scenarios Spatial resolution Modelling approach Outcomes
Acharya et al. 2018 Nepal 1950–2000 2050 and 2070 RCP2.6, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5 30 arc second Mechanistic model Population exposed to climatically suitable areas of dengue
Bambrick et al. 2009 Australia 1961–1990 2100 Four climate change scenarios produced by CSIRO Not given Correlative model Distribution of dengue cases and people living in regions of high risk of dengue transmission
Banu et al. 2014 Dhaka, Bangladesh
2000–2010 2100 Monthly temperature increases by 1, 2 and 3.3°C in 2100 relative to 2010 Not given Correlative model Annual number of dengue cases
Bouzid et al. 2014 Europe 1961–1990 2011–2040,
2041–2070,
2071–2100
A1B 10 km * 10 km Correlative model Number and geographical distribution of dengue cases
Butterworth et al. 2017 23 locations of the US 1961–1990 2045–2065 A1B 1.3o – 3.9o Mechanistic model Number of dengue cases
Study Setting Baseline period Projection period Climate change scenarios Spatial resolution Modelling approach Outcomes
Colon-Gonzalez et al. 2013 Mexico 1970–1999 2030, 2050, and 2080 A1B, A2 and B1 Not given Correlative model The average value and distribution of annual dengue incidence
Fan et al. 2019 China 1981–2016 2020, 2030, 2050 and 2100 RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5 0.5o * 0.5o Mechanistic model Distribution of dengue cases
Lee et al. 2018 Korea 2012–2016 2020–2099 RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5 Not given Mechanistic model Potential risk of dengue outbreaks
Li et al. 2017 Guangzhou, China 1998–2014 2020–2070 RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 Not given Correlative model Number of dengue cases
Liu-Helmersson et al. 2016 10 European cities 1901–1930,
1984–2013
2070–2099 RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5 0.25o * 0.25o Mechanistic model The seasonal peak and time window for dengue epidemic potential
Williams et al. 2016 Four cities (Brisbane, Cairns, Rockhampton, and Townsville) in Queensland, Australia. 1990–2011 2046–2064 A2 and B1 Not given Mechanistic model Probability of dengue outbreaks and epidemic potential
Study Setting Baseline period Projection period Climate change scenarios Spatial resolution Modelling approach Outcomes
Astrom et al. 2012 Globe 1961–1990 2050 A1B 0.5o * 0.5o Correlative model Population at risk of dengue and its distribution
Hales et al. 2002 Globe 1961–1990 2050 and 2080 IS92a and IS92f 0.5o * 0.5o Correlative model Population at risk of dengue
Martens et al. 1997 Globe 1931–1980 2050 GFDL89, UKTR, and ECHAM1-A Not given Mechanistic model Epidemic potential of dengue cases
Messina et al. 2019 Globe 1960–2015 2020, 2050 and 2080 RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5 5 km * 5 km Mechanistic model Environmental suitability for dengue virus and population at risk of dengue
Patz et al. 1998 Globe 1931–1980 2050 Three GCMs 250 km horizontally and 1 km vertically Mechanistic model Dengue average annual epidemic potential

Local, national or regional studies

Eleven of the 16 studies included in the final review projected the future of dengue at the local, national, or regional level (Table 1). Specifically, the research settings of these studies were Australia [11, 20], Bangladesh [12], China [15, 17], Europe [23, 24], Korea [25], Mexico [14], Nepal [9], and the US [13]. These studies were largely heterogeneous in five key aspects. First, the baseline period used varied: three studies used 1961–1990 as the baseline period [11, 13, 23], but the baseline periods used in the other eight studies varied. The inconsistency in the baseline period employed in different studies renders it difficult to directly compare the projection results across these studies. Second, the projection period also varied among studies: five studies used one year (e.g., 2100) or a couple of different years (e.g., 2050 and 2070) as the projection period [9, 11, 12, 14, 15], and the other six studies used a consecutive period of time (e.g., 2070–2090) as the projection period [13, 17, 20, 2325]. The formation of a wide consensus on the use of projection periods (e.g. short-term (2030), middle-term (2050) and long-term (2100)) would facilitate the comparison of future study results. Third, the climate change scenarios used varied: four studies conducted in Australia [20], Europe [23], Mexico [14], and the US [13] used A1B, A2 and/or B1 as the climate change scenarios, and five studies conducted in China [15, 17], Europe [24], Korea [25] and Nepal [9] used RCPs to project the future of dengue. The study by Bambrick et al. used the climate change scenarios produced by CSIRO (the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation of Australia) [11] and the study of Banu et al. used the climate change scenarios assuming that the monthly temperature in 2100 will increase by 1, 2 or 3.3°C relative to 2010 [12]. Fourth, the modelling approach used: there are generally two types of models used in projecting the future of dengue, i.e., mechanistic model and correlative model [21]. The strengths and limitations of these two modelling approaches can be found in the previous review papers [21, 26]. In the 11 studies which projected the future of dengue locally, nationally, or regionally, six used mechanistic modelling approach [9, 13, 15, 20, 24, 25], and the other five used correlative modelling approach [11, 12, 14, 17, 23]. Last, the outcome variable also differed: five studies projected the future number of dengue cases [1214, 17, 23], four studies projected the future spatial distribution of dengue cases/incidence [11, 14, 15, 23], two studies projected the future population exposed to climatically suitable areas of dengue or future population living in regions of high risk of dengue transmission [9, 11], and three studies projected the future dengue epidemic potential [20, 24, 25].

Global studies

At 30th June 2019, there were five studies which projected the future of dengue at the global scale (Table 1) [10, 16, 18, 19, 27]. Interestingly, the period 1961–1990 was also used as the baseline period in two of these five studies [10, 16], and 1931–1980 was used as the baseline period in another two studies [18, 19]. Regarding the projection period, all of the five studies used 2050 or a couple of years including 2050 and 2080 as the projection period to project the future of dengue globally. The climate change scenarios employed in these global studies varied from one to another, and, as some studies were conducted before SRES or RCPs were introduced, they used some older climate change scenarios (e.g., GFDL89 [18]). In terms of the outcome variables used, three of these studies projected the future global population at risk of dengue and its spatial distribution [10, 16, 27], two projected the spatial pattern of dengue epidemic potential globally [18, 19], and one projected the spatial pattern of environmental suitability for dengue virus globally [27].

Discussion

Progress

As the transmission of dengue involves dengue viruses, vectors, and susceptible people, to understand the precise relationship between climate and dengue transmission is not a trivial task [6, 28]. Further, projecting the future of dengue under climate change scenarios requires not just a good understanding of the association between climate and dengue but also comprehensive knowledge on future changes in climate and other factors (e.g. demographic change). Nevertheless, much progress has been made in this field. First, there is a growing consensus on using “population exposed to climatically suitable areas of dengue” or “epidemic potential of dengue cases” as the outcome variable in the projection [9, 24, 27], instead of projecting the absolute number of future dengue cases. Second, with the advent of the multiple climate change scenarios introduced by IPCC covering the “best case scenario” and the possible “worst case scenario” [8, 22], the selection of climate change scenarios has become more consistent across different studies. Third, the presence of dengue vectors is pivotal for the transmission of dengue, but projecting the distribution of dengue vectors is challenging partially due to the unavailability of rich data on the present distribution of dengue vectors. Nevertheless, there have been a few attempts which incorporated findings on the current and future distributions of dengue vectors into the projection of dengue future [2931]. Kraemer et al. have investigated the past and projected future spread of A. aegypti and A. albopictus globally [30], and based on this work, Messina et al. have presented the current and future global population at risk of dengue [27].

Uncertainties

Despite the progresses made in the projection of dengue future, many uncertainties remain to be resolved. First, sociodemographic factors play an appreciable role in the transmission of dengue, and incorporating sociodemographic factors in the projection of dengue future remains a challenge. A salient example is the relationship between travel and the transmission of dengue [3234]. In 2016, there were more than 1.2 billion international tourists and this number is still growing [35], raising concerns about the appreciable role that travel (particularly international travel [36]) may play in the future transmission of dengue. Second, increasing temperature has been widely used as the indicator of climate change in the prior studies projecting the future of dengue, with rainfall and humidity being under-researched. Hales et al. reported that vapour pressure, an index which incorporates temperature and humidity, is the climate indicator which predicts the presence of dengue most accurately [16]. However, the associations of different climatic factors with the transmission of dengue are complex and sometimes behave in a non-linear manner [5, 37]. Third, the crucial drivers behind the presence or absence of dengue vectors include, but are not limited to, climate or vector-control programs [38], and other fundamental drivers remain to be unveiled. Fourth, why dengue transmission occurs in some regions with ideal environment and vectors, but not in other similar regions, remains mysterious.

Future research needs

Accurately projecting the future of dengue under the context of climate change would help governments and public health officials take timely and pre-emptive actions to protect the public from dengue in the future. There are several knowledge gaps that need to be filled in this field. First, incorporating the most important sociodemographic factors (e.g., travel and demographic change) into the projections would yield a more accurate estimate of dengue future [25]. Second, in some regions, temperature might not be the most significant climatic factor associated with the transmission of dengue [39, 40]. Identifying the locally important climatic factor and conducting precise projection at the local level is warranted. Third, it is of great significance to explore the non-climatic drivers behind the presence of A. aegypti and A. albopictus, and also to identify the crucial factors triggering the transmission of dengue in those climatically suitable regions. Fourth, some dengue control strategies may be effective in curbing its spread in some areas [41]. As more evidence of their effectiveness accumulates (e.g., Wolbachia [42, 43]), such strategies need to be taken into account in dengue projections as some high risk regions for transmission may become low risk due to vector control capacity [44]. Fifth, routine communication between the research community and policy makers on the local key drivers of dengue transmission is still deficient, calling for concerted efforts to be made in the future.

Limitations of this review

Several limitations of this review should be acknowledged. First, the different outcomes used in the existing studies projecting the future of dengue under climate change scenarios restricted us to quantitatively pool the findings. Second, understanding the future distribution of dengue vectors is an essential step in adequately understanding the future of dengue, but those studies solely projecting the future distribution of dengue vectors under climate change scenarios were not included in this review due to the focus of this review being on human health. Third, specific methodological issues in projecting the future of dengue (e.g., proper control of confounders) worth exploring but were not comprehensively elucidated in this review because some published review papers have discussed these issues to some extent.

Conclusion

As climate change proceeds, population exposed to areas with suitable environment for the transmission of dengue may change. There is an increasing number of studies which projected the future of dengue under climate change scenarios. Identifying the non-climatic drivers behind the presence/absence of dengue vectors and the pivotal factors triggering the transmission of dengue in those climatically suitable areas is an important next step. In addition to future projections accounting for alternative climate change scenarios, benefit would come from considering different control scenarios (e.g., programs incorporating Wolbachia). This would not only improve projection realism but would also act as an impetus for establishing researchers and policy makers’ consensus on provisions to mitigate future dengue.

Supporting information

S1 Checklist. PRISMA checklist.

(DOC)

S1 Flowchart. PRISMA flowchart.

(DOC)

Data Availability

All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.

Funding Statement

This study was supported by National Health and Medical Research Council (APP 1138622_Hu). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008118.r001

Decision Letter 0

Scott B Halstead, Stuart D Blacksell

24 Dec 2019

Dear Mr Hu:

Thank you very much for submitting your manuscript "Projecting the future of dengue under climate change scenarios: progress, uncertainties and research needs" (PNTD-D-19-01789) for review by PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Your manuscript was fully evaluated at the editorial level and by independent peer reviewers. The reviewers appreciated the attention to an important topic but identified some aspects of the manuscript that should be improved.

We therefore ask you to modify the manuscript according to the review recommendations before we can consider your manuscript for acceptance. Your revisions should address the specific points made by each reviewer.

In addition, when you are ready to resubmit, please be prepared to provide the following:

(1) A letter containing a detailed list of your responses to the review comments and a description of the changes you have made in the manuscript.

(2) Two versions of the manuscript: one with either highlights or tracked changes denoting where the text has been changed (uploaded as a "Revised Article with Changes Highlighted" file ); the other a clean version (uploaded as the article file).

(3) If available, a striking still image (a new image if one is available or an existing one from within your manuscript). If your manuscript is accepted for publication, this image may be featured on our website. Images should ideally be high resolution, eye-catching, single panel images; where one is available, please use 'add file' at the time of resubmission and select 'striking image' as the file type.

Please provide a short caption, including credits, uploaded as a separate "Other" file. If your image is from someone other than yourself, please ensure that the artist has read and agreed to the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License at http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/s/content-license (NOTE: we cannot publish copyrighted images).

(4) Appropriate Figure Files

Please remove all name and figure # text from your figure files upon submitting your revision. Please also take this time to check that your figures are of high resolution, which will improve both the editorial review process and help expedite your manuscript's publication should it be accepted. Please note that figures must have been originally created at 300dpi or higher. Do not manually increase the resolution of your files. For instructions on how to properly obtain high quality images, please review our Figure Guidelines, with examples at: http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/s/figures

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/ PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email us at figures@plos.org.

Please note while forming your response, if your article is accepted, you may have the opportunity to make the peer review history publicly available. The record will include editor decision letters (with reviews) and your responses to reviewer comments. If eligible, we will contact you to opt in or out.

We hope to receive your revised manuscript by Feb 22 2020 11:59PM. If you anticipate any delay in its return, we ask that you let us know the expected resubmission date by replying to this email.

To submit your revised files, please log in to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pntd/

If you have any questions or concerns while you make these revisions, please let us know.

Sincerely,

Stuart D. Blacksell

Guest Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Scott Halstead

Deputy Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

***********************

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Key Review Criteria Required for Acceptance?

As you describe the new analyses required for acceptance, please consider the following:

Methods

-Are the objectives of the study clearly articulated with a clear testable hypothesis stated?

-Is the study design appropriate to address the stated objectives?

-Is the population clearly described and appropriate for the hypothesis being tested?

-Is the sample size sufficient to ensure adequate power to address the hypothesis being tested?

-Were correct statistical analysis used to support conclusions?

-Are there concerns about ethical or regulatory requirements being met?

Reviewer #1: The objectives were clearly stated. The study methods were described clearly. Authors had performed a comprehensive search.

Reviewer #2: Authors should explain why papers solely projecting the future distribution of dengue mosquitoes were not included in this review.

--------------------

Results

-Does the analysis presented match the analysis plan?

-Are the results clearly and completely presented?

-Are the figures (Tables, Images) of sufficient quality for clarity?

Reviewer #1: The analysis was organised neatly and presented clearly.

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

--------------------

Conclusions

-Are the conclusions supported by the data presented?

-Are the limitations of analysis clearly described?

-Do the authors discuss how these data can be helpful to advance our understanding of the topic under study?

-Is public health relevance addressed?

Reviewer #1: The limitations of the study were not described explicitly.

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

--------------------

Editorial and Data Presentation Modifications?

Use this section for editorial suggestions as well as relatively minor modifications of existing data that would enhance clarity. If the only modifications needed are minor and/or editorial, you may wish to recommend “Minor Revision” or “Accept”.

Reviewer #1: Minor suggestion to improve readability: (line 245) I suggest to perhaps switch the part of the sentence mentioning Wolbachia with the next sentence ("As more evidence..."). Because this is the first time Wolbachia was mentioned in the text, I think this part should be mentioned later as an example of strategies with accumulating evidence.

Reviewer #2: Second sentence of introduction could be rewritten - "Unlike malaria, in recent years the number of deaths due to dengue continue to increase"

Figure 1 should appear before in results before table 1.

Conclusion line 253 - 262 could do with minor editing.

--------------------

Summary and General Comments

Use this section to provide overall comments, discuss strengths/weaknesses of the study, novelty, significance, general execution and scholarship. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. If requesting major revision, please articulate the new experiments that are needed.

Reviewer #1: The authors have performed a comprehensive search of articles and presented the results clearly. Minor suggestions were made to increase clarity in discussion part.

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

--------------------

PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008118.r003

Decision Letter 1

Scott B Halstead, Stuart D Blacksell

5 Feb 2020

Dear Mr Hu,

We are pleased to inform you that your manuscript 'Projecting the future of dengue under climate change scenarios: progress, uncertainties and research needs' has been provisionally accepted for publication in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Before your manuscript can be formally accepted you will need to complete some formatting changes, which you will receive in a follow up email. A member of our team will be in touch within two working days with a set of requests.

Please note that your manuscript will not be scheduled for publication until you have made the required changes, so a swift response is appreciated.

IMPORTANT: The editorial review process is now complete. PLOS will only permit corrections to spelling, formatting or significant scientific errors from this point onwards. Requests for major changes, or any which affect the scientific understanding of your work, will cause delays to the publication date of your manuscript.

Should you, your institution's press office or the journal office choose to press release your paper, you will automatically be opted out of early publication. We ask that you notify us now if you or your institution is planning to press release the article. All press must be co-ordinated with PLOS.

Thank you again for supporting Open Access publishing; we are looking forward to publishing your work in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Best regards,

Stuart D. Blacksell

Guest Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Scott Halstead

Deputy Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

***********************************************************

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Key Review Criteria Required for Acceptance?

As you describe the new analyses required for acceptance, please consider the following:

Methods

-Are the objectives of the study clearly articulated with a clear testable hypothesis stated?

-Is the study design appropriate to address the stated objectives?

-Is the population clearly described and appropriate for the hypothesis being tested?

-Is the sample size sufficient to ensure adequate power to address the hypothesis being tested?

-Were correct statistical analysis used to support conclusions?

-Are there concerns about ethical or regulatory requirements being met?

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: Authors have addressed the one issue with the methods section.

**********

Results

-Does the analysis presented match the analysis plan?

-Are the results clearly and completely presented?

-Are the figures (Tables, Images) of sufficient quality for clarity?

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

**********

Conclusions

-Are the conclusions supported by the data presented?

-Are the limitations of analysis clearly described?

-Do the authors discuss how these data can be helpful to advance our understanding of the topic under study?

-Is public health relevance addressed?

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: Authors have addressed the issue of stating limitations

**********

Editorial and Data Presentation Modifications?

Use this section for editorial suggestions as well as relatively minor modifications of existing data that would enhance clarity. If the only modifications needed are minor and/or editorial, you may wish to recommend “Minor Revision” or “Accept”.

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: Authors have addressed all issues

**********

Summary and General Comments

Use this section to provide overall comments, discuss strengths/weaknesses of the study, novelty, significance, general execution and scholarship. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. If requesting major revision, please articulate the new experiments that are needed.

Reviewer #1: I have no further comment. The manuscript may be accepted based on editor's discretion.

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

**********

PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008118.r004

Acceptance letter

Scott B Halstead, Stuart D Blacksell

26 Feb 2020

Dear Mr Hu,

We are delighted to inform you that your manuscript, "Projecting the future of dengue under climate change scenarios: progress, uncertainties and research needs," has been formally accepted for publication in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

We have now passed your article onto the PLOS Production Department who will complete the rest of the publication process. All authors will receive a confirmation email upon publication.

The corresponding author will soon be receiving a typeset proof for review, to ensure errors have not been introduced during production. Please review the PDF proof of your manuscript carefully, as this is the last chance to correct any scientific or type-setting errors. Please note that major changes, or those which affect the scientific understanding of the work, will likely cause delays to the publication date of your manuscript. Note: Proofs for Front Matter articles (Editorial, Viewpoint, Symposium, Review, etc...) are generated on a different schedule and may not be made available as quickly.

Soon after your final files are uploaded, the early version of your manuscript will be published online unless you opted out of this process. The date of the early version will be your article's publication date. The final article will be published to the same URL, and all versions of the paper will be accessible to readers.

Thank you again for supporting open-access publishing; we are looking forward to publishing your work in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Best regards,

Serap Aksoy

Editor-in-Chief

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Shaden Kamhawi

Editor-in-Chief

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Associated Data

    This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.

    Supplementary Materials

    S1 Checklist. PRISMA checklist.

    (DOC)

    S1 Flowchart. PRISMA flowchart.

    (DOC)

    Attachment

    Submitted filename: Response to reviewers.docx

    Data Availability Statement

    All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.


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