The results of the Alqueva Project, an interdisciplinary investigation into the links between climate change, parasitic disease, and public health, took center stage at a symposium held on May 23, 2025, at the Auditorium of Colégio do Espírito Santo, University of Évora. Organized jointly by GHTM | IHMT-NOVA and the University of Évora, the event provided a platform to share key findings from the project with researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and members of the scientific community.
Initiated as a master’s thesis and developed into a broader collaborative effort, the Alqueva Project focused on cercarial dermatitis—an emerging zoonotic disease linked to freshwater snails acting as intermediate hosts. Through fieldwork, malacological surveys, eDNA-based parasite detection, and interviews with healthcare professionals, the project aimed to understand how environmental changes, particularly those driven by climate change, are influencing disease ecology in the Alqueva region.
The project identified predominant snail species, particularly abundant during the summer months, and demonstrated that eDNA analysis is an effective tool for detecting parasites in hard-to-reach areas. The eDNA results closely matched known snail habitats, underscoring its value for surveillance.
A social science component complemented the ecological work, including a survey of healthcare professionals in the Alentejo region. The findings pointed to limited awareness of cercarial dermatitis but also revealed suspected cases in the area. Discussions at the symposium addressed ways to enhance epidemiological monitoring—such as repeating surveys after institutional changes, conducting focus group interviews, and expanding the sample to include nurses and other Portuguese regions.
The symposium also placed the Alqueva Project within the broader context of global health challenges, including the role of migratory birds in spreading diseases like avian influenza and the increased prevalence of zoonoses in the face of climate change. These discussions reinforced the relevance of the One Health approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health.
Organized by Prof. Manuela Calado (GHTM | IHMT-NOVA), Prof. Margarida Simões (University of Évora), and Dr. Mário Jorge Santos (Regional Health Authority of Alentejo, Directorate-General of Health), the event showcased strong collaboration between research, clinical practice, and public health policy.
Participants also highlighted the need for cross-sector cooperation, involving health centers, universities, pharmacies, laboratories, and the tourism industry. Community pharmacists were recognized for their potential to enhance health literacy, particularly in addressing emerging threats such as antimicrobial resistance.
The symposium concluded with a clear call to action: transforming scientific knowledge into concrete measures for prevention, surveillance, and control of emerging diseases—through coordinated efforts and community engagement—is essential in the era of climate change. The Alqueva Project stands as a model of how science can inform public health strategies within an integrated One Health framework.
This work is funded by national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under the project 2022.01349.PTDC.