A district-level ensemble model to enhance dengue prediction and control for the mekong delta region of Vietnam
File version
Accepted Manuscript (AM)
Author(s)
Nguyen, Thi Thanh Thao
Quoc Do, Kien
Nguyen, Thinh
Bui, Vinh
Nelson, Elisabeth
Warren, Joshua L
Doan, Quang-Van
Sinh, Nam Vu
Osborne, Nicholas John
Richards, Russell
Tran, Nu Quy Linh
Le, Hong
Pham, Tuan
Hung, Trinh Manh
et al.
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Gaunt, Michael W
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract
The Mekong Delta Region (MDR) of Vietnam faces increasing vulnerability to severe dengue outbreaks due to urbanization, globalization, and climate change, necessitating effective early warning systems for outbreak mitigation. This study developed a probabilistic forecasting model to predict dengue incidence and outbreaks with 1–3-month lead times, incorporating meteorological, sociodemographic, preventive, and epidemiological data. A total of 72 models were evaluated, with top performers from spatiotemporal models, supervised PCA, and semi-mechanistic hhh4 frameworks combined into an ensemble. Using data from 2004-2011 for development, 2012–2016 for cross-validation, and 2017–2022 for evaluation, the ensemble model integrated five individual models to forecast dengue incidence up to three months ahead. Performance was assessed using Brier Score, Continuous Ranked Probability Score (CRPS), bias, and diffuseness, and we evaluated performance by horizon, geography, and seasonality. Using the 95th percentile of the historical distribution as the epidemic threshold, the ensemble model achieved 69% accuracy at a 3-month horizon during evaluation, surpassing the reference model’s 58%, though it struggled in years with atypical seasonality, such as 2019 and 2022, possibly due to COVID-19 disruptions. By providing critical lead time, the model enables health systems to allocate resources, plan interventions, and engage communities in dengue prevention and control.
Journal Title
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
19
Issue
9
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
© 2025 Draidi Areed et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Item Access Status
Note
This publication has been entered in Griffith Research Online as an advance online version.
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Epidemiology
Medical virology
Biological sciences
Biomedical and clinical sciences
Health sciences
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Draidi Areed, W; Nguyen, TTT; Quoc Do, K; Nguyen, T; Bui, V; Nelson, E; Warren, JL; Doan, Q-V; Sinh, NV; Osborne, NJ; Richards, R; Tran, NQL; Le, H; Pham, T; Hung, TM; et al., A district-level ensemble model to enhance dengue prediction and control for the mekong delta region of Vietnam, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2025, 19 (9), pp. e0013571