The first Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN) Southeast Asia Heat Health Forum took place in Singapore from January 7-10, 2025. Under the theme “Toward a Heat Resilient Southeast Asia: Enhancing Livelihoods and Wellbeing”, the forum gathered more than 200 experts, policymakers, and researchers from across the globe. Funded by Wellcome and co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the GHHIN, the event aimed to strengthen the region’s capacity to manage extreme heat risks and foster evidence-based policies for public health resilience.
The E-DENGUE project – a friendly digital tool for dengue prevention in the Mekong Delta Region, Vietnam was introduced in the forum as a good example of how early warning systems can contribute to building heat-resilient communities. A key factor in the project’s success is its application of the Three “Us” concept—Useful, Usable, and Used—a framework that can be applied to developing effective heat-health action plans.
The Three “Us” concept emphasises the importance of ensuring that any public health tool or intervention is Useful, Usable, and Used to achieve its intended impact. This practical framework ensures that measures are not only scientifically sound but also accessible and integrated into daily life.
Useful: Addressing Real Needs
A tool is deemed useful when it effectively addresses a specific task or objective, providing accurate and relevant solutions. In the case of E-DENGUE, the tool offers precise predictions of dengue risk, allowing communities to implement timely prevention measures.
In heat-health planning, ensuring that interventions are useful involves grounding them in local contexts and health risks. This means identifying vulnerable populations—such as the elderly, outdoor workers, and people with pre-existing health conditions—and tailoring strategies to protect them from heat-related illnesses. The usefulness of such tools ensures that they address real-world needs and provide actionable insights to mitigate risks.
Usable: Ensuring Accessibility and Ease of Use
The usability of a public health tool is critical to its success. A complex system that is difficult to navigate will fail to achieve widespread adoption. Recognising this, the E-DENGUE project team developed an open-source software system with a user-friendly web-based and mobile app interface. The platform provides clear instructions for local health practitioners to predict dengue outbreaks at the district level, making it accessible and empowering users to take preventive actions.
In the context of heat-health action plans, ensuring usability involves translating complex climate data into simple, actionable steps that community members can easily understand and follow. It also requires training healthcare providers, local authorities, and community members to recognize early warning signs of heat-related health risks and respond promptly. Usability ensures that interventions are not only available but also actionable for the people who need them most.
Used: Encouraging Adoption and Integration
The ultimate goal of any public health intervention is to achieve widespread use within the target population. A tool may be useful and usable, but if it is not actively used, its impact will be limited. The E-DENGUE project emphasises integrating its prediction tool into existing disease surveillance systems to ensure it becomes a proactive component of dengue prevention efforts.
In heat-health planning, achieving the “Used” status involves embedding early warning systems and response measures into health systems and community practices. This includes working with local governments and community leaders to ensure that heat-health interventions are seamlessly integrated into everyday routines. When communities and health systems actively use these tools, the interventions become sustainable and impactful.
The E-DENGUE project’s success in applying the Three “Us” concept highlights the potential of this framework to inspire innovative approaches in managing climate-related health risks. By ensuring that public health interventions are Useful, Usable, and Used, policymakers can enhance community resilience to extreme heat and other environmental challenges.
