AI-driven mobile game to wipeout dengue | MEDICUS 2023 Issue 4

AI-driven, collaborative mobile game to wipeout dengue mosquitoes

By Sruthi Jagannathan, Senior scientific editor

This new serious game, developed by SingHealth Polyclinics and AI innovation labs aims to teach players how to wipe out mosquito breeding grounds

Peak dengue season may have just passed, but a new addition to Singapore’s dengue control toolkit is causing a bit of a buzz: Sam’s Mozzie Adventure, a serious game which allows you to fight those pesky, blood-sucking—if in the game’s version rather cute—foes across a series of breeding habitats, educates players while delivering a bite of fun.

The brainchild of a team of researchers from SingHealth Polyclinics and mobile app developers from AI Innovation labs, this serious game—that is a game created for an educational purpose— couldn’t be more apt for Singapore, whose tropical climate, sprawling urban spaces and densely-populated communities create the perfect habitat for the A. aegypti mosquito species—the primary carriers of dengue viruses.

Infection with the dengue virus presents in varying degrees of severity, from no symptoms at all to internal bleeding, a condition known as dengue haemorrhagic fever, or even death. Since the 1960s when the first instance of dengue haemorrhagic fever was reported here, Singapore has reduced disease incidence by more than tenfold but complete eradication has proved elusive.

Tackling the problem at its root has been the country’s formula as it combined source reduction, public education and community-level measures such as door-to-door inspections in its response strategy.

Dr Alon Tan, an associate consultant with SingHealth Polyclinics and the clinical lead for this project, hopes the game, with its immersive learning experience, will be a valuable addition to existing campaigns from the National Environment Agency (NEA), such as its B-L-O-C-K five-step mozzie wipeout.

Portrait of Alon Tan, a physician with SingHealth Polyclinics

Dr Alon Tan hopes the game can increase awareness about potential breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquito to augment existing campaigns from the NEA // Credit: SingHealth Polyclinics

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In the game, players travel through different types of mosquito breeding sites. To move from one site to the next, players have to choose the right corrective actions, while a wrong move will incur penalties such as having to repeat the level.

As well as a bit of fun, the game has also made an impact. A study involving more than 370 volunteers carried out at SHP-Sengkang found that those who played the game had better practice scores for dengue prevention compared to participants who visited an educational website on dengue prevention.

Based on the promising results, the polyclinic team is working on securing funding to enhance the game. For instance, more than 84 per cent of participants in both groups expressed interest in dengue vaccination, so future iterations of the game may include an in-game feature to identify people suitable for vaccination. The team is also seeking to collaborate with NEA to promote the game to the general public and in schools.

“Gaining knowledge about dengue is the first step to winning the battle against dengue,” said Tan.

Beyond dengue prevention, Tan sees the potential of serious games in helping the general population to manage chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol through bite-sized steps.

Based on a story first published in Singapore Health, titled “Raising awareness against dengue”.