The Camino Verde trial of community mobilisation for control of dengue reported a significant impact on entomological indices of the Aedes aegypti vector , and on serological dengue virus infection and self-reported dengue cases .
One reason for doing r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) is that experiments can be convincing .
Early epidemiological experimenters , such as Jenner and the smallpox vaccine and Snow and his famous Broad Street pump h and le , already knew the answer they were demonstrating ; they used the experiments as knowledge translation devices to convince others .
More sophisticated modern experiments include cluster r and omised controlled trials ( C RCTs ) for experiments in the public health setting .
Those who are convinced by a trial and want to act , need to know how the trial relates to their own context , what contributed to success , and what might make it even more effective .
Mobilising communities for Aedes aegypti control: the SEPA approach
Camino Verde ( the Green Way ) is an evidence -based  community  mobilisation tool for prevention of dengue and other mosquito-borne viral diseases . Its effectiveness was demonstrated in a cluster-r and omised controlled trial conducted in 2010–2013 in Nicaragua and Mexico . The common approach that brought functional consistency to the Camino Verde intervention in both Mexico and Nicaragua is Socialisation of Evidence for Participatory Action (SEPA).In this article , we explain the SEPA concept and its theoretical origins , giving examples of its previous application in different countries and context s. We describe how the approach was used in the Camino Verde intervention , with details that show commonalities and differences in the application of the approach in Mexico and Nicaragua . We discuss issues of cost , replicability and sustainability , and comment on which components of the intervention were most important to its success . In complex interventions , multiple components act in synergy to produce change . Among key factors in the success of Camino Verde were the use of community volunteers called brigadistas , the house-to-house visits they conducted , the use of evidence derived from the communities themselves , and community ownership of the undertaking . Communities received the intervention by r and om assignment ; dengue was not necessarily their greatest concern . The very nature of the dengue threat dictated many of the actions that needed to be taken at household and neighbourhood levels to control it . But within these parameters , communities exercised a large degree of control over the intervention and displayed considerable ingenuity in the process . Trial registration IS RCT N27581154
The Camino Verde trial of community mobilisation for control of dengue reported a significant impact on entomological indices of the Aedes aegypti vector , and on serological dengue virus infection and self-reported dengue cases .
One reason for doing r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) is that experiments can be convincing .
Early epidemiological experimenters , such as Jenner and the smallpox vaccine and Snow and his famous Broad Street pump h and le , already knew the answer they were demonstrating ; they used the experiments as knowledge translation devices to convince others .
More sophisticated modern experiments include cluster r and omised controlled trials ( C RCTs ) for experiments in the public health setting .
Those who are convinced by a trial and want to act , need to know how the trial relates to their own context , what contributed to success , and what might make it even more effective .