more content below

Eradication is Survival!

Humans vs. Mosquitoes was originally developed in Fall 2011 by a team of graduate students and faculty at Yale University and Parsons The New School for Design for the Red Cross Red Crescent to use in the field to educate children about vector borne diseases and climate change. Playing the game allows children and policy makers alike to understand and engage on an emotional level with complex and abstract concepts of climate change and disease transmission. The game has been played all over the world including in South Africa at COP17, Kenya, Vietnam, Barbados, and the U.S. There is now a field version, a gesture-based tabletop version, and card version of the game. 

Buy Now

Background

Worldwide, over 2.5 billion people are at risk of dengue. It is estimated that between 50 to 100 million cases of dengue fever and 250,000 to 500,000 cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever occur each year. Dengue is found in tropical and subtropical climates, in urban and semi-urban areas. It is found in over 100 countries. It is a virus spread by infected female mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti). There are four different viruses that cause dengue. After an infection, a person will develop lifelong immunity to that specific virus and transient immunity to the other three viruses.

There is no vaccine, cure, or specific treatment for dengue fever. However, prevention remains the only effective strategy to combat dengue. Dengue can be prevented through the control of the mosquito population with biological, chemical, and environmental methods. The Red Cross Red Crescent emphasizes dengue interventions should focus on the importance of cleaning breeding grounds more than using insecticides. Humans vs. Mosquitoes highlights the importance of prevention especially clearing breeding grounds.

Climate change will influence the transmission of dengue. Climate change fluctuations such as rain, warmer weather, and water shortages will all increase the prevalence of this disease. The Red Cross Red Crescent is one of the humanitarian agencies that are actively responding to the health care impacts of climate change by organizing education and cleaning campaigns to reduce the spread of dengue in countries such as Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Climate change will place a greater burden on humanitarian agencies responding to dengue epidemics and they will require increased support to reach the most vulnerable populations worldwide.

How to Play Without Buying the Card Game

Outdoors in a Field

Facilitator Guide

Player Instructions

Indoors With Limited Resources

Climate Centre Facilitation Guide

Supporters

Snow
Snow


Exhibitions and Showcases

Come Out and Play

San Francisco, 2012

SOMA Arts Come Out and Play Exhibit

San Francisco, 2012

Come Out and Play

New York City, 2012

COP17

Durban, South Africa 2011

Let's Adapt Workshop

Barbados, 2014

Press

UM Experts Target the Small Bites and Big Threats Posed by Mosquitoes

Veritas, University of Miami

Can a Game Combat Malaria?

Thompson Reuters Foundation

Games for a New Climate, It's Time to Take Games More Seriously

INESAD

Come Out and Play @ Games for Change Festival 2014

Games for Change Blog

Humans vs. Mosquitoes Game Best Form of Prevention

Supernews

Dengue: Catch the Fever!

Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Blog

Contact Us