Mosaic Project concludes first activities in the Amazon

The international Mosaic project has concluded its first activities in the two study areas located on the Amazon. From October 20 to November 2, researchers visited the triple border between Brazil, Colombia and Peru and the binational border between Brazil and French Guiana. Scientists from France, Portugal, Poland, Kenya, Colombia, Peru and Brazil took part in different stages of the expedition. Entitled Multi-site application of open science in the creation of healthy environments involving local communities (Mosaic), the project brings together 15 scientific institutions from seven countries, as well as partner research centers.

An international team of scientists met at the Fiocruz Amazônia headquarters before visiting border areas (photo: Júlio Pedrosa, Fiocruz Amazônia)

Fiocruz is part of the initiative through the International Platform for Science, Technology and Innovation in Health (Picitis). Participants include the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz), the Leônidas and Maria Deane Institute (Fiocruz Amazônia), the Institute for Scientific and Technological Communication and Information in Health (Icict/Fiocruz) and the Sergio Arouca National School of Public Health (Ensp/Fiocruz).

The ultimate goal is to establish information systems to support populations in border areas and to assess and deal with the impacts of environmental transformations. In addition to two areas in the Amazon, the initiative includes the border between Kenya and Tanzania, in Africa, which welcomed the group in September. Field activities in the Amazon region focused on meetings with local actors, including researchers, health teams and community leaders.

Leader of the Mosaic working group on shared science with stakeholders, Paulo Peiter, a researcher from the Parasitic Diseases Laboratory at IOC/Fiocruz, emphasized the importance of the mission, given the pillars of single health and open science that guide the project.

Paulo Peiter presents the project at a meeting with researchers and local leaders on the campus of the National University of Colombia in Leticia, on the triple border (photo: Mosaic IRD)

“The outcome was extremely positive as it allowed participants to get to know the areas of study and have contact with their populations and leaders. The 'One Health' approach is new to human health professionals, but it has traditionally been adopted by local communities, especially indigenous ones. It was a real immersion for more than 15 days in a very different reality to the one we are used to and, therefore, necessary,” said Paulo, who is part of Pictis' One Health/Global Health Sector Laboratory.

Triple border

An event at Fiocruz Amazônia in Manaus marked the start of activities in the region. The researchers were welcomed by the unit's director, Stefanie Lopes, who highlighted the innovative nature of Mosaic's approach to health and surveillance in border regions and the importance of joint action by various institutions.

Carlos Eduardo Andrade Lima da Rocha, advisor to the IOC/Fiocruz Vice-Director for Research, Technological Development and Innovation, pointed out that the project reconciles fields of Fiocruz's work in health surveillance in local communities, bringing solutions for new monitoring systems and health training.

Event at Fiocruz Amazônia marked the beginning of the mission and highlighted the importance of international cooperation (photo: Júlio Pedrosa, Fiocruz Amazônia)

Pictis' scientific coordinator, José Cordeiro, noted that Mosaic's trajectory has been closely monitored by relevant bodies in the European Union and Brazil, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union Delegation in Brasilia.

Paulo gave a presentation on the project and drew attention to the historic drought in the Amazon, noting that the impact of climate change on people's daily lives is a focus of Mosaic.
From Manaus, the group went to the triple border between Brazil, Colombia and Peru. In Leticia, Colombia, there was a meeting with researchers and local actors at the National University of Colombia, sharing experiences in health surveillance, climate change and successful projects in health and improving living conditions, involving the communities living in the cross-border territory.

The scientists also visited the Sinchi Amazon Institute for Scientific Research, linked to Colombia's Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development. In Tabatinga, Amazonas, the team visited the Upetana Primary Care Unit of the Alto Rio Solimões Special Indigenous Health District (DSEI). There were talks with Tikuna midwives and a presentation of the local social cartography by DSEI technicians, who belong to the Kokama ethnic group and are graduates of Fiocruz's Educational Program in Border Health Surveillance (VigiFronteiras-Brasil). The researchers also visited the Border Laboratory (Lafron), linked to the Amazonas Central Public Health Laboratory (Lacen-AM).

After traveling along the river, researchers disembarked in Vila Vitória, a neighborhood far from the center of Oiapoque, which is opposite the city of Saint Georges de L'Oyapock, in French Guiana (photo: IOC/Fiocruz Collection)

Binational border

The second stage of the expedition included activities in Oiapoque, in Amapá, and Saint Georges de l'Oyapock, in French Guiana. To reach the border, the researchers traveled 590 km along the BR-156 highway, which connects Macapá to Oiapoque, crossing areas of agriculture and livestock until they reached the native forest preserved in the Uaçá Indigenous Land.
In Oiapoque, the 3rd International Mosaic Project Meeting was held at the Binational Campus of the Federal University of Amapá (Unifap). Researchers from various scientific institutions, community leaders and health authorities from Amapá and French Guiana took part in the event.

The opening table was attended by Unifap's vice-director, Ana Flavia Albuquerque; Oiapoque's Health Secretary, Josimar Silva; Amapá's Health Surveillance Superintendent, Cassio Peterka; the president of the Amapá Research Support Foundation (Fapeap), Gutemberg de Vilhena Silva; and the general coordinator of the Mosaic project, Emmanuel Roux.

In all, there were 17 presentations. Among the topics covered were the prospects for the Mosaic project in the Amazon and Africa, the historical context and current issues in the cross-border territory, cooperation between Brazil and French Guiana and health and surveillance initiatives.

Researchers met with hospital professionals in Saint Geroges about health issues on the border, such as the flow of Brazilian patients seeking care in the neighboring country (photo: IOC/Fiocruz Collection)

The panel on research experiences in the region included studies on infectious diseases, population mobility, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, biodiversity, HIV/Aids, viral hepatitis, leishmaniasis, malaria, socially vulnerable populations and indigenous populations.

Leaders from the Quilombo Kulumbú do Patauazinho and the Oiapoque Indigenous Women's Association presented perspectives on traditional medicine and the problems faced in the territory.
In addition to the seminar, the agenda on the binational border included visits to health units on both sides of the border. The researchers also learned about the Curema project, which is evaluating a new intervention to control malaria in miners moving between Amapá, French Guiana and Suriname.

The multinational initiative was presented by the head of the Parasitic Diseases Laboratory at IOC/Fiocruz, Martha Mutis, who leads the Curema research in Brazil and is part of the Mosaic project.
On the last day in the region, the group took a boat trip with three stops: at the Clevelândia do Norte Special Border Command, at the construction site of the Salto Cafesoca Small Hydroelectric Power Plant and at the headquarters of the Iepé Indigenous Research and Training Institute.

“At both study sites, the mission allowed us to get to know a wide range of actors and interests. Based on this reconnaissance, we will seek the consent of institutions and non-institutional actors for the project, map the network of actors at each site and draw up an initial list of problems and indicators to be incorporated into Mosaic's information systems,” said Paulo.

Mosaic

The Mosaic Project is coordinated by the French Research Institute for Development (IRD in its French acronym) and was selected by the European Union's Horizon Europe program for funding from 2024 to 2027. It was the first European call for research funding with the participation of Pictis, a research center established in collaboration between Fiocruz and the University of Aveiro in Portugal.