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Haq Z, Nazir J, Manzoor T, Saleem A, Hamadani H, Khan AA, Saleem Bhat S, Jha P, Ahmad SM. Zoonotic spillover and viral mutations from low and middle-income countries: improving prevention strategies and bridging policy gaps. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17394. [PMID: 38827296 PMCID: PMC11144393 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The increasing frequency of zoonotic spillover events and viral mutations in low and middle-income countries presents a critical global health challenge. Contributing factors encompass cultural practices like bushmeat consumption, wildlife trade for traditional medicine, habitat disruption, and the encroachment of impoverished settlements onto natural habitats. The existing "vaccine gap" in many developing countries exacerbates the situation by allowing unchecked viral replication and the emergence of novel mutant viruses. Despite global health policies addressing the root causes of zoonotic disease emergence, there is a significant absence of concrete prevention-oriented initiatives, posing a potential risk to vulnerable populations. This article is targeted at policymakers, public health professionals, researchers, and global health stakeholders, particularly those engaged in zoonotic disease prevention and control in low and middle-income countries. The article underscores the importance of assessing potential zoonotic diseases at the animal-human interface and comprehending historical factors contributing to spillover events. To bridge policy gaps, comprehensive strategies are proposed that include education, collaborations, specialized task forces, environmental sampling, and the establishment of integrated diagnostic laboratories. These strategies advocate simplicity and unity, breaking down barriers, and placing humanity at the forefront of addressing global health challenges. Such a strategic and mental shift is crucial for constructing a more resilient and equitable world in the face of emerging zoonotic threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zulfqarul Haq
- ICMR project, Division of Livestock Production and Management, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, India, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Junaid Nazir
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
- Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of veterinary Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, India, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Tasaduq Manzoor
- Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of veterinary Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, India, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Afnan Saleem
- Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of veterinary Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, India, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - H. Hamadani
- ICMR project, Division of Livestock Production and Management, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, India, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Azmat Alam Khan
- ICMR project, Division of Livestock Production and Management, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, India, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Sahar Saleem Bhat
- Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of veterinary Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, India, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Priyanka Jha
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
| | - Syed Mudasir Ahmad
- Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of veterinary Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, India, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
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2
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Tschopp R, Kidanu AG. Knowledge-attitude and practice of Anthrax and brucellosis: Implications for zoonotic disease surveillance and control in pastoral communities of Afar and Somali region, Ethiopia. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0012067. [PMID: 38574113 PMCID: PMC11020881 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anthrax and brucellosis are endemic national priority zoonotic diseases in Ethiopia. This study assess the possible factors explaining the current limited information available on animal and human cases in pastoral communities. METHODS Two questionnaire surveys gathered data from 509 pastoralists and 51 healthcare providers between February and April 2019 in five districts of Afar and the Somali region (SRS). RESULTS Among the 51 healthcare providers, 25 (49%) and 38 (74.5%) had heard of brucellosis, and anthrax, respectively. Of those, only 3 (12%) and 14 (36.8%) knew the symptoms of brucellosis and Anthrax. None of the Health Extension Workers knew any disease symptoms. Healthcare providers recalled two human cases of brucellosis and 39 cases of Anthrax in the last 12 months, based on symptom-based diagnosis. Pastoralists had a moderate level of knowledge about diseases in their animals, with over half (52.4%; n = 267/509) understanding that animals can transmit diseases to people. Overall, 280 out of 508 (55.1%) and 333 out of 507 (65.7%) pastoralists had heard of brucellosis and Anthrax, respectively. Among the latter, 282 (51.3%) knew at least one preventive measure for Anthrax. However, disease knowledge among women was poor. Despite their knowledge, pastoralists engaged in risky unprotected animal handling, animal product consumption/usage as well as husbandry behaviors exposing them to pathogens and favoring the spread of diseases. They identified Anthrax as the most important zoonosis (47.6%) and as one of top three diseases suspected to cause mortality in their livestock. Pastoralists highlighted lack of vaccine coverage, availability and their timely administration. Both, pastoralists and healthcare providers stated the lack of disease awareness and the unavailability of drugs in the market as important challenges. Health facilities lacked protocols and standard operating procedures for managing zoonotic diseases, and did not have access to laboratory confirmation of pathogens. CONCLUSION Our study revealed significant under-reporting of Anthrax and brucellosis, and weak prevention and response in humans, mostly associated with poor disease knowledge of healthcare providers. Ability to respond to animal outbreaks was limited by vaccine and drugs availability, timely vaccine administration and the mobility of pastoralists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rea Tschopp
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Switzerland
- One Health Division, Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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3
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McMinn RJ, Chacon A, Rückert C, Scorza V, Young MC, Worthington D, Lamb MM, Medrano RE, Harris EK, Arias K, Lopez MR, Asturias EJ, Foy BD, Stenglein MD, Olson D, Ebel GD. Evaluation of Vector-Enabled Xenosurveillance in Rural Guatemala. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2023; 109:1303-1310. [PMID: 37972312 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Surveillance methods that permit rapid detection of circulating pathogens in low-resource settings are desperately needed. In this study, we evaluated a mosquito bloodmeal-based surveillance method ("xenosurveillance") in rural Guatemala. Twenty households from two villages (Los Encuentros and Chiquirines) in rural southwest Guatemala were enrolled and underwent weekly prospective surveillance from August 2019 to December 2019 (16 weeks). When febrile illness was reported in a household, recently blood-fed mosquitoes were collected from within dwellings and blood samples taken from each member of the household. Mosquitoes were identified to species and blood sources identified by sequencing. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to identify circulating viruses. Culex pipiens (60.9%) and Aedes aegypti (18.6%) were the most abundant mosquitoes collected. Bloodmeal sources were most commonly human (32.6%) and chicken (31.6%), with various other mammal and avian hosts detected. Several mosquito-specific viruses were detected, including Culex orthophasma virus. Human pathogens were not detected. Therefore, xenosurveillance may require more intensive sampling to detect human pathogens in Guatemala and ecologically similar localities in Central America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekah J McMinn
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Andrea Chacon
- Fundacion para la Salud Integral de los Guatemaltecos, Retalhuleu, Guatemala
| | - Claudia Rückert
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
| | - Valeria Scorza
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Michael C Young
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Delaney Worthington
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Molly M Lamb
- Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Ramon E Medrano
- Centro de Estudios en Salud, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Emma K Harris
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Kareen Arias
- Center for Human Development, Retalhuleu, Guatemala
| | - Maria Renee Lopez
- Centro de Estudios en Salud, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Edwin J Asturias
- Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, Colorado
- Center for Human Development, Retalhuleu, Guatemala
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Brian D Foy
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Mark D Stenglein
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Daniel Olson
- Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, Colorado
- Center for Human Development, Retalhuleu, Guatemala
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
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4
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Wang Z, Liu L, Duan Y, Tao D. SIN: Semantic Inference Network for Few-Shot Streaming Label Learning. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NEURAL NETWORKS AND LEARNING SYSTEMS 2023; 34:9952-9965. [PMID: 35507625 DOI: 10.1109/tnnls.2022.3162747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Streaming label learning aims to model newly emerged labels for multilabel classification systems, which requires plenty of new label data for training. However, in changing environments, only a small amount of new label data can practically be collected. In this work, we formulate and study few-shot streaming label learning (FSLL), which models emerging new labels with only a few annotated examples by utilizing the knowledge learned from past labels. We propose a meta-learning framework, semantic inference network (SIN), which can learn and infer the semantic correlation between new labels and past labels to adapt FSLL tasks from a few examples effectively. SIN leverages label semantic representation to regularize the output space and acquires labelwise meta-knowledge based on gradient-based meta-learning. Moreover, SIN incorporates a novel label decision module with a meta-threshold loss to find the optimal confidence thresholds for each new label. Theoretically, we illustrate that the proposed semantic inference mechanism could constrain the complexity of hypotheses space to reduce the risk of overfitting and achieve better generalizability. Experimentally, extensive empirical results and ablation studies demonstrate the performance of SIN is superior to the prior state-of-the-art methods on FSLL.
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5
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Pinto J, Dissanayake RB, Dhand N, Rojo-Gimeno C, Falzon LC, Akwar H, Alambeji RB, Beltran-Alcrudo D, Castellan DM, Chanachai K, Guitian J, Hilmers A, Larfaoui F, Loth L, Motta P, Rasamoelina H, Salyer S, Shadomy S, Squarzoni C, Rwego I, Santos CV, Wongsathapornchai K, Lockhart C, Okuthe S, Kane Y, Gilbert J, Soumare B, Dhingra M, Sumption K, Tiensin T. Development of core competencies for field veterinary epidemiology training programs. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1143375. [PMID: 37089403 PMCID: PMC10118009 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1143375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A workforce with the adequate field epidemiology knowledge, skills and abilities is the foundation of a strong and effective animal health system. Field epidemiology training is conducted in several countries to meet the increased global demand for such a workforce. However, core competencies for field veterinary epidemiology have not been identified and agreed upon globally, leading to the development of different training curricula. Having a set of agreed core competencies can harmonize field veterinary epidemiology training. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) initiated a collective, iterative, and participative process to achieve this and organized two expert consultative workshops in 2018 to develop core competencies for field veterinary epidemiology at the frontline and intermediate levels. Based on these expert discussions, 13 competencies were identified for the frontline and intermediate levels. These competencies were organized into three domains: epidemiological surveillance and studies; field investigation, preparedness and response; and One Health, communication, ethics and professionalism. These competencies can be used to facilitate the development of field epidemiology training curricula for veterinarians, adapted to country training needs, or customized for training other close disciplines. The competencies can also be useful for mentors and employers to monitor and evaluate the progress of their mentees, or to guide the selection process during the recruitment of new staff.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Pinto
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Liaison Office for the United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Julio Pinto
| | | | - Navneet Dhand
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Camden, NSW, Australia
| | | | | | - Holy Akwar
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Daniel Beltran-Alcrudo
- Food and Agriculture Organization Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, Budapest, Hungary
| | - David Mario Castellan
- Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Karoon Chanachai
- Department of Disease Control/Department of Livestock Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Angela Hilmers
- Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Fairouz Larfaoui
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | - Leo Loth
- Food and Agriculture Organization Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Paolo Motta
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Stephanie Salyer
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Sean Shadomy
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Cécile Squarzoni
- Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, La Réunion, France
| | - Innocent Rwego
- University of Minnesota/One Health Central and Eastern Africa, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Carmen Varela Santos
- Public Health Capacity and Communication Unit, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kachen Wongsathapornchai
- Food and Agriculture Organization, Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Caryl Lockhart
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | - Sam Okuthe
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Yaghouba Kane
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Africa, Accra, Ghana
| | - Jeffrey Gilbert
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | - Baba Soumare
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | - Madhur Dhingra
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | - Keith Sumption
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | - Thanawat Tiensin
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
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6
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Garrett KA, Bebber DP, Etherton BA, Gold KM, Plex Sulá AI, Selvaraj MG. Climate Change Effects on Pathogen Emergence: Artificial Intelligence to Translate Big Data for Mitigation. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2022; 60:357-378. [PMID: 35650670 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-021021-042636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Plant pathology has developed a wide range of concepts and tools for improving plant disease management, including models for understanding and responding to new risks from climate change. Most of these tools can be improved using new advances in artificial intelligence (AI), such as machine learning to integrate massive data sets in predictive models. There is the potential to develop automated analyses of risk that alert decision-makers, from farm managers to national plant protection organizations, to the likely need for action and provide decision support for targeting responses. We review machine-learning applications in plant pathology and synthesize ideas for the next steps to make the most of these tools in digital agriculture. Global projects, such as the proposed global surveillance system for plant disease, will be strengthened by the integration of the wide range of new data, including data from tools like remote sensors, that are used to evaluate the risk ofplant disease. There is exciting potential for the use of AI to strengthen global capacity building as well, from image analysis for disease diagnostics and associated management recommendations on farmers' phones to future training methodologies for plant pathologists that are customized in real-time for management needs in response to the current risks. International cooperation in integrating data and models will help develop the most effective responses to new challenges from climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- K A Garrett
- Plant Pathology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA;
- Food Systems Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - D P Bebber
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - B A Etherton
- Plant Pathology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA;
- Food Systems Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - K M Gold
- Plant Pathology and Plant Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Sciences, Cornell AgriTech, Cornell University, Geneva, New York, USA
| | - A I Plex Sulá
- Plant Pathology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA;
- Food Systems Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - M G Selvaraj
- The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali, Colombia
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7
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Okamoto KW, Ong V, Wallace R, Wallace R, Chaves LF. When might host heterogeneity drive the evolution of asymptomatic, pandemic coronaviruses? NONLINEAR DYNAMICS 2022; 111:927-949. [PMID: 35757097 PMCID: PMC9207439 DOI: 10.1007/s11071-022-07548-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Controlling many infectious diseases, including SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), requires surveillance followed by isolation, contact-tracing and quarantining. These interventions often begin by identifying symptomatic individuals. However, actively removing pathogen strains causing symptomatic infections may inadvertently select for strains less likely to cause symptomatic infections. Moreover, a pathogen's fitness landscape is structured around a heterogeneous host pool; uneven surveillance efforts and distinct transmission risks across host classes can meaningfully alter selection pressures. Here, we explore this interplay between evolution caused by disease control efforts and the evolutionary consequences of host heterogeneity. Using an evolutionary epidemiology model parameterized for coronaviruses, we show that intense symptoms-driven disease control selects for asymptomatic strains, particularly when these efforts are applied unevenly across host groups. Under these conditions, increasing quarantine efforts have diverging effects. If isolation alone cannot eradicate, intensive quarantine efforts combined with uneven detections of asymptomatic infections (e.g., via neglect of some host classes) can favor the evolution of asymptomatic strains. We further show how, when intervention intensity depends on the prevalence of symptomatic infections, higher removal efforts (and isolating symptomatic cases in particular) more readily select for asymptomatic strains than when these efforts do not depend on prevalence. The selection pressures on pathogens caused by isolation and quarantining likely lie between the extremes of no intervention and thoroughly successful eradication. Thus, analyzing how different public health responses can select for asymptomatic pathogen strains is critical for identifying disease suppression efforts that can effectively manage emerging infectious diseases. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11071-022-07548-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi W. Okamoto
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105 USA
- Agroecology and Rural Economics Research Corps, St. Paul, MN USA
| | - Virakbott Ong
- Department of Biology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105 USA
| | - Robert Wallace
- Agroecology and Rural Economics Research Corps, St. Paul, MN USA
| | | | - Luis Fernando Chaves
- Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (ICGES), Avenida Justo Arosemena, Panama, Panama
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8
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Zimmerman DM, Mitchell SL, Wolf TM, Deere JR, Noheri JB, Takahashi E, Cranfield MR, Travis DA, Hassell JM. Great ape health watch: Enhancing surveillance for emerging infectious diseases in great apes. Am J Primatol 2022; 84:e23379. [PMID: 35389523 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Infectious diseases have the potential to extirpate populations of great apes. As the interface between humans and great apes expands, zoonoses pose an increasingly severe threat to already endangered great ape populations. Despite recognition of the threat posed by human pathogens to great apes, health monitoring is only conducted for a small fraction of the world's wild great apes (and mostly those that are habituated) meaning that outbreaks of disease often go unrecognized and therefore unmitigated. This lack of surveillance (even in sites where capacity to conduct surveillance is present) is the most significant limiting factor in our ability to quickly detect and respond to emerging infectious diseases in great apes when they first appear. Accordingly, we must create a surveillance system that links disease outbreaks in humans and great apes in time and space, and enables veterinarians, clinicians, conservation managers, national decision makers, and the global health community to respond quickly to these events. Here, we review existing great ape health surveillance programs in African range habitats to identify successes, gaps, and challenges. We use these findings to argue that standardization of surveillance across sites and geographic scales, that monitors primate health in real-time and generates early warnings of disease outbreaks, is an efficient, low-cost step to conserve great ape populations. Such a surveillance program, which we call "Great Ape Health Watch" would lead to long-term improvements in outbreak preparedness, prevention, detection, and response, while generating valuable data for epidemiological research and sustainable conservation planning. Standardized monitoring of great apes would also make it easier to integrate with human surveillance activities. This approach would empower local stakeholders to link wildlife and human health, allowing for near real-time, bidirectional surveillance at the great ape-human interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawn M Zimmerman
- Global Health Program, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.,School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Technical Advisory Board, Gorilla Doctors, Musanze, Rwanda
| | - Stephanie L Mitchell
- Global Health Program, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Tiffany M Wolf
- Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jessica R Deere
- Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | | | | | - Michael R Cranfield
- Technical Advisory Board, Gorilla Doctors, Musanze, Rwanda.,Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Dominic A Travis
- Technical Advisory Board, Gorilla Doctors, Musanze, Rwanda.,Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - James M Hassell
- Global Health Program, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.,School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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9
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Worsley-Tonks KEL, Bender JB, Deem SL, Ferguson AW, Fèvre EM, Martins DJ, Muloi DM, Murray S, Mutinda M, Ogada D, Omondi GP, Prasad S, Wild H, Zimmerman DM, Hassell JM. Strengthening global health security by improving disease surveillance in remote rural areas of low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet Glob Health 2022; 10:e579-e584. [PMID: 35303467 PMCID: PMC8923676 DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(22)00031-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need to strengthen national surveillance systems to protect a globally connected world. In low-income and middle-income countries, zoonotic disease surveillance has advanced considerably in the past two decades. However, surveillance efforts often prioritise urban and adjacent rural communities. Communities in remote rural areas have had far less support despite having routine exposure to zoonotic diseases due to frequent contact with domestic and wild animals, and restricted access to health care. Limited disease surveillance in remote rural areas is a crucial gap in global health security. Although this point has been made in the past, practical solutions on how to implement surveillance efficiently in these resource-limited and logistically challenging settings have yet to be discussed. We highlight why investing in disease surveillance in remote rural areas of low-income and middle-income countries will benefit the global community and review current approaches. Using semi-arid regions in Kenya as a case study, we provide a practical approach by which surveillance in remote rural areas can be strengthened and integrated into existing systems. This Viewpoint represents a transition from simply highlighting the need for a more holistic approach to disease surveillance to a solid plan for how this outcome might be achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeff B Bender
- School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Sharon L Deem
- Institute for Conservation Medicine, Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Adam W Ferguson
- Gantz Family Collection Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Eric M Fèvre
- International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya; Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Dino J Martins
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya; Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Dishon M Muloi
- International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya; Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Suzan Murray
- Global Health Program, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Mathew Mutinda
- Veterinary Services Department, Kenya Wildlife Service, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Darcy Ogada
- The Peregrine Fund, Boise, ID, USA; National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - George P Omondi
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA; Ahadi Veterinary Resource Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Shailendra Prasad
- Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Hannah Wild
- Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Dawn M Zimmerman
- Department of Clinical Studies, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Disease, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - James M Hassell
- Global Health Program, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Disease, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
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10
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Gebremichael B, Haile D, Biadgilign S. Population vitamin D status might be related to COVID-19 mortality but not with infection rate in Africa: evidence from ecological analysis. Pan Afr Med J 2022; 41:249. [PMID: 35734324 PMCID: PMC9187979 DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2022.41.249.29619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction there is a large body of literature that has linked vitamin D status in the population with COVID-19 infection risk and disease severity. However, there is paucity of evidence in African context. Hence, this study aimed to conduct an ecological analysis to explore correlation between population level vitamin D status, COVID-19 infection, and mortality in Africa. Methods an ecological study was conducted using data from different open sources, published literatures and organizational databases. In the final analysis, we included 23 African countries which had data on prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, population level mean serum 25 (OH) D concentrations and COVID-19 data. We employed spearman correlation and linear regression. All tests were two-sided, and P- value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results based on our analysis, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is positively correlated (r=0.6265; p= 0.0094) while mean 25(OH) D concentration is negatively correlated (r=-0.4941; p= 0.0194) with COVID-19 mortality. In addition, the median age of the national population (r=0.7015; p= 0.0003), prevalence of current use of tobacco (r=0.6071; p= 0.0075) and prevalence of obesity among adult population (r=0.7143; p= 0.0003) were positively correlated with both COVID-19 infection and mortality in Africa. Nonetheless, vitamin D status was not positively correlated with observed case fatality rate and COVID-19 infection rate. Conclusion population vitamin D status might be related to COVID-19 mortality but not with infection rate in Africa. Due to the increasing weight of evidence that shows a link between COVID-19 and vitamin D, we strongly recommend well-designed controlled studies to explore causality and clinical trials to find out the effect of vitamin-D supplementation in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 in African settings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Demewoz Haile
- College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Sibhatu Biadgilign
- Public Health Nutrition Research Consultant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,Corresponding author: Sibhatu Biadgilign, Public Health Nutrition Research Consultant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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11
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Caldwell JM, de Lara-Tuprio E, Teng TR, Estuar MRJE, Sarmiento RFR, Abayawardana M, Leong RNF, Gray RT, Wood JG, Le LV, McBryde ES, Ragonnet R, Trauer JM. Understanding COVID-19 dynamics and the effects of interventions in the Philippines: A mathematical modelling study. THE LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. WESTERN PACIFIC 2021; 14:100211. [PMID: 34308400 PMCID: PMC8279002 DOI: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 initially caused less severe outbreaks in many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) compared with many high-income countries, possibly because of differing demographics, socioeconomics, surveillance, and policy responses. Here, we investigate the role of multiple factors on COVID-19 dynamics in the Philippines, a LMIC that has had a relatively severe COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS We applied an age-structured compartmental model that incorporated time-varying mobility, testing, and personal protective behaviors (through a "Minimum Health Standards" policy, MHS) to represent the first wave of the Philippines COVID-19 epidemic nationally and for three highly affected regions (Calabarzon, Central Visayas, and the National Capital Region). We estimated effects of control measures, key epidemiological parameters, and interventions. FINDINGS Population age structure, contact rates, mobility, testing, and MHS were sufficient to explain the Philippines epidemic based on the good fit between modelled and reported cases, hospitalisations, and deaths. The model indicated that MHS reduced the probability of transmission per contact by 13-27%. The February 2021 case detection rate was estimated at ~8%, population recovered at ~9%, and scenario projections indicated high sensitivity to MHS adherence. INTERPRETATION COVID-19 dynamics in the Philippines are driven by age, contact structure, mobility, and MHS adherence. Continued compliance with low-cost MHS should help the Philippines control the epidemic until vaccines are widely distributed, but disease resurgence may be occurring due to a combination of low population immunity and detection rates and new variants of concern.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Timothy Robin Teng
- Department of Mathematics, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines
| | | | | | - Milinda Abayawardana
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Robert Neil F. Leong
- School of Population Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Richard T. Gray
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - James G. Wood
- School of Population Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Linh-Vi Le
- World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines
| | - Emma S. McBryde
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia
| | - Romain Ragonnet
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - James M. Trauer
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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12
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Zhao X, Hu G, Chen GF, Zhang H, Zhang S, Wang H. Comprehensive Understanding of the Thriving Ambient Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction Reaction. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2007650. [PMID: 34197001 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202007650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The electrochemical method of combining N2 and H2 O to produce ammonia (i.e., the electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction [E-NRR]) continues to draw attention as it is both environmentally friendly and well suited for a progressively distributed farm economy. Despite the multitude of recent works on the E-NRR, further progress in this field faces a bottleneck. On the one hand, despite the extensive exploration and trial-and-error evaluation of E-NRR catalysts, no study has stood out to become the stage protagonist. On the other hand, the current level of ammonia production (microgram-scale) is an almost insurmountable obstacle for its qualitative and quantitative determination, hindering the discrimination between true activity and contamination. Herein i) the popular theory and mechanism of the NRR are introduced; ii) a comprehensive summary of the recent progress in the field of the E-NRR and related catalysts is provided; iii) the operational procedures of the E-NRR are addressed, including the acquisition of key metrics, the challenges faced, and the most suitable solutions; iv) the guiding principles and standardized recommendations for the E-NRR are emphasized and future research directions and prospects are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhao
- Institute for Ecological Research and Pollution Control of Plateau Lakes, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650504, China
| | - Guangzhi Hu
- Institute for Ecological Research and Pollution Control of Plateau Lakes, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650504, China
| | - Gao-Feng Chen
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China
| | - Haibo Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Shusheng Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450000, China
| | - Haihui Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Membrane Materials and Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
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13
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Kang L, Marlene R. WITHDRAWN: Health risk appraisal of rural population in poverty. Work 2021:WOR205370. [PMID: 34308885 DOI: 10.3233/wor-205370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ahead of Print article withdrawn by publisher.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Kang
- School of Business Administration, Hubei University of Economics, Wuhan, China
| | - Rodrigues Marlene
- College of Fine, Performing & Communication Arts, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
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14
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Asem N, Ramadan A, Hassany M, Ghazy RM, Abdallah M, Ibrahim M, Gamal EM, Hassan S, Kamal N, Zaid H. Pattern and determinants of COVID-19 infection and mortality across countries: An ecological study. Heliyon 2021; 7:e07504. [PMID: 34254048 PMCID: PMC8264269 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This work aimed to identify the mathematical model and ecological determinants of COVID-19 infection and mortality across different countries during the first six months of the pandemic. METHODOLOGY In this study, authors used the online available data sources of randomly selected 18 countries to figure out potential determinants of COVID-19 transmissibility and mortality. The studied variables were environmental factors (daily average temperature, daily humidity), socioeconomic attributes (population age structure, count and density, human development index, per capita income (PCI), gross domestic product, internet coverage) mobility trends and chronic diseases. Researchers used the linear and exponential time series analysis, and further utilized multivariate techniques to explain the variance in the monthly increase in cases and deaths. RESULTS In the first two months, the R2 of linear models for the cases and deaths were higher than that of the corresponding R2 of the exponential model. Later one, R2 of the exponential model was occasionally relatively higher than that of the linear model. The exponential growth rate of new cases was significantly associated with mobility trends (β = 0.00398, P = 0.002), temperature (β = 0.000679, P = 0.011), humidity (β = 0.000249, P < 0.001), and the proportion of population aged ≥65 years (β = -0.000959, P = 0.012). Similarly, the exponential growth rate of deaths was significantly associated with mobility trends (β = 0.0027, P = 0.049), temperature (β = 0.0014, P < 0.001), humidity (β = -0.0026, P < 0.001), and PCI of countries. During this period, COVID-19 transmissibility was evident to be controlled as soon as social mobility is decreased by about 40% of the baseline over 3 months controlling for the other predictors. CONCLUSION Controlling of COVID-19 pandemic is based mainly on controlling social mobility. Role of environmental determinants like temperature and humidity was well noticed on disease fatality and transmissibility. Socio-demographic determinants of COVID-19 spread and fatality included modifiable risk factors like PCI and non-modifiable risk factors like ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noha Asem
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt
- Ministry of Health and Population, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Ramadan
- Department of Data Science and Medical Information, DataClin CRO, Egypt
- Department of Applied Statistics, Faculty of Postgraduate Studies for Statistical Research, Cairo University, Egypt
| | | | - Ramy Mohamed Ghazy
- Tropical Health Department, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Abdallah
- Medical Research Division, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Ibrahim
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt
| | | | | | - Nehal Kamal
- Department of Research, Children's Cancer Hospital (CCHE) 57357, Egypt
| | - Hala Zaid
- Ministry of Health and Population, Egypt
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15
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Thomas LF, Rushton J, Bukachi SA, Falzon LC, Howland O, Fèvre EM. Cross-Sectoral Zoonotic Disease Surveillance in Western Kenya: Identifying Drivers and Barriers Within a Resource Constrained Setting. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:658454. [PMID: 34169106 PMCID: PMC8217437 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.658454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Collaboration between the human and animal health sectors, including the sharing of disease surveillance data, has the potential to improve public health outcomes through the rapid detection of zoonotic disease events prior to widespread transmission in humans. Kenya has been at the forefront of embracing a collaborative approach in Africa with the inception of the Zoonotic Disease Unit in 2011. Joint outbreak responses have been coordinated at the national level, yet little is currently documented on cross-sectoral collaboration at the sub-national level. Methods: Key informant interviews were conducted with 28 disease surveillance officers from the human and animal health sectors in three counties in western Kenya. An inductive process of thematic analysis was used to identify themes relating to barriers and drivers for cross-sectoral collaboration. Results: The study identified four interlinking themes related to drivers and barriers for cross-sectoral collaboration. To drive collaboration at the sub-national level there needs to be a clear identification of “common objectives,” as currently exemplified by the response to suspected rabies and anthrax cases and routine meat hygiene activities. The action of collaboration, be it integrated responses to outbreaks or communication and data sharing, require “operational structures” to facilitate them, including the formalisation of reporting lines, supporting legislation and the physical infrastructure, from lab equipment to mobile phones, to facilitate the activities. These structures in turn require “appropriate resources” to support them, which will be allocated based on the “political will” of those who control the resources. Conclusions: Ongoing collaborations between human and animal disease surveillance officers at the sub-national level were identified, driven by common objectives such as routine meat hygiene and response to suspected rabies and anthrax cases. In these areas a suitable operational structure is present, including a supportive legislative framework and clearly designated roles for officers within both sectors. There was support from disease surveillance officers to increase their collaboration, communication and data sharing across sectors, yet this is currently hindered by the lack of these formal operational structures and poor allocation of resources to disease surveillance. It was acknowledged that improving this resource allocation will require political will at the sub-national, national and international levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lian Francesca Thomas
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, United Kingdom.,International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Jonathan Rushton
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, United Kingdom.,Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Food Systems, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Salome A Bukachi
- Institute of Anthropology, Gender & African Studies, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Laura C Falzon
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, United Kingdom.,International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Olivia Howland
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, United Kingdom.,International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Eric M Fèvre
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, United Kingdom.,International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.,Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Food Systems, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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16
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Elton L, Haider N, Kock R, Thomason MJ, Tembo J, Arruda LB, Ntoumi F, Zumla A, McHugh TD. Zoonotic disease preparedness in sub-Saharan African countries. ONE HEALTH OUTLOOK 2021; 3:5. [PMID: 33778376 PMCID: PMC7982296 DOI: 10.1186/s42522-021-00037-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The emergence of high consequence pathogens such as Ebola and SARS-CoV-2, along with the continued burden of neglected diseases such as rabies, has highlighted the need for preparedness for emerging and endemic infectious diseases of zoonotic origin in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using a One Health approach. To identify trends in SSA preparedness, the World Health Organization (WHO) Joint External Evaluation (JEE) reports were analysed. JEEs are voluntary, collaborative processes to assess country's capacities to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to public health risks. This report aimed to analyse the JEE zoonotic disease preparedness data as a whole and identify strengths and weaknesses. METHODS JEE zoonotic disease preparedness scores for 44 SSA countries who had completed JEEs were analysed. An overall zoonotic disease preparedness score was calculated as an average of the sum of all the SSA country zoonotic disease preparedness scores and compared to the overall mean JEE score. Zoonotic disease preparedness indicators were analysed and data were collated into regions to identify key areas of strength. RESULTS The mean 'Zoonotic disease' preparedness score (2.35, range 1.00-4.00) was 7% higher compared to the mean overall JEE preparedness score (2.19, range 1.55-3.30), putting 'Zoonotic Diseases' 5th out of 19 JEE sub-areas for preparedness. The average scores for each 'Zoonotic Disease' category were 2.45 for 'Surveillance Systems', 2.76 for 'Veterinary Workforce' and 1.84 for 'Response Mechanisms'. The Southern African region scored highest across the 'Zoonotic disease' categories (2.87).A multisectoral priority zoonotic pathogens list is in place for 43% of SSA countries and 70% reported undertaking national surveillance on 1-5 zoonotic diseases. 70% of SSA countries reported having public health training courses in place for veterinarians and 30% had veterinarians in all districts (reported as sufficient staffing). A multisectoral action plan for zoonotic outbreaks was in place for 14% countries and 32% reported having an established inter-agency response team for zoonotic outbreaks. The zoonotic diseases that appeared most in reported country priority lists were rabies and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) (both 89%), anthrax (83%), and brucellosis (78%). CONCLUSIONS With 'Zoonotic Diseases' ranking 5th in the JEE sub-areas and a mean SSA score 7% greater than the overall mean JEE score, zoonotic disease preparedness appears to have the attention of most SSA countries. However, the considerable range suggests that some countries have more measures in place than others, which may perhaps reflect the geography and types of pathogens that commonly occur. The category 'Response Mechanisms' had the lowest mean score across SSA, suggesting that implementing a multisectoral action plan and response team could provide the greatest gains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linzy Elton
- Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection & Immunity, University College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Margaret J. Thomason
- Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection & Immunity, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Liã Bárbara Arruda
- Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection & Immunity, University College London, London, UK
| | - Francine Ntoumi
- Institute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Congolese Foundation for Medical Research, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Alimuddin Zumla
- Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection & Immunity, University College London, London, UK
- National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Timothy D. McHugh
- Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection & Immunity, University College London, London, UK
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17
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Bedi JS, Vijay D, Dhaka P, Singh Gill JP, Barbuddhe SB. Emergency preparedness for public health threats, surveillance, modelling & forecasting. Indian J Med Res 2021; 153:287-298. [PMID: 33906991 PMCID: PMC8204835 DOI: 10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_653_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
In the interconnected world, safeguarding global health security is vital for maintaining public health and economic upliftment of any nation. Emergency preparedness is considered as the key to control the emerging public health challenges at both national as well as international levels. Further, the predictive information systems based on routine surveillance, disease modelling and forecasting play a pivotal role in both policy building and community participation to detect, prevent and respond to potential health threats. Therefore, reliable and timely forecasts of these untoward events could mobilize swift and effective public health responses and mitigation efforts. The present review focuses on the various aspects of emergency preparedness with special emphasis on public health surveillance, epidemiological modelling and capacity building approaches. Global coordination and capacity building, funding and commitment at the national and international levels, under the One Health framework, are crucial in combating global public health threats in a holistic manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasbir Singh Bedi
- Centre for One Health, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
| | - Deepthi Vijay
- Centre for One Health, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
| | - Pankaj Dhaka
- Centre for One Health, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
| | - Jatinder Paul Singh Gill
- Centre for One Health, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
| | - Sukhadeo B. Barbuddhe
- Department of Meat Safety, ICAR-National Research Centre on Meat, Chengicherla, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
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18
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Reaser JK, Witt A, Tabor GM, Hudson PJ, Plowright RK. Ecological Countermeasures for Preventing Zoonotic Disease Outbreaks: When Ecological Restoration is a Human Health Imperative. Restor Ecol 2021; 29:e13357. [PMID: 33785998 PMCID: PMC7995086 DOI: 10.1111/rec.13357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Ecological restoration should be regarded as a public health service. Unfortunately, the lack of quantitative linkages between environmental and human health has limited recognition of this principle. The advent of COVID-19 pandemic provides the impetus for the further discussion. We propose ecological countermeasures as highly targeted, landscape-based interventions to arrest the drivers of land use-induced zoonotic spillover. We provide examples of ecological restoration activities that reduce zoonotic disease risk and a five-point action plan at the human-ecosystem health nexus. In conclusion, we make the case that ecological countermeasures are a tenant of restoration ecology with human health goals. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie K Reaser
- Center for Large Landscape Conservation, P.O. Box 1587 Bozeman Montana 59715 U.S.A.,George Mason University, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, 4400 University Drive Fairfax Virginia 22030 U.S.A.,University of Rhode Island, Department of Natural Resource Science, 1 Greenhouse Road Kingston Rhode Island 02881 U.S.A
| | - Arne Witt
- CABI, Canary Bird 673, Limuru Rd Nairobi Kenya
| | - Gary M Tabor
- Center for Large Landscape Conservation, P.O. Box 1587 Bozeman Montana 59715 U.S.A
| | - Peter J Hudson
- Department of Biology Pennsylvania State University, 208 Curtin Road, State College Pennsylvania 16801 U.S.A
| | - Raina K Plowright
- Montana State University, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, P.O. Box 173520 Bozeman Montana 59717 U.S.A
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Draz MS, Vasan A, Muthupandian A, Kanakasabapathy MK, Thirumalaraju P, Sreeram A, Krishnakumar S, Yogesh V, Lin W, Yu XG, Chung RT, Shafiee H. Virus detection using nanoparticles and deep neural network-enabled smartphone system. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eabd5354. [PMID: 33328239 PMCID: PMC7744080 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd5354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Emerging and reemerging infections present an ever-increasing challenge to global health. Here, we report a nanoparticle-enabled smartphone (NES) system for rapid and sensitive virus detection. The virus is captured on a microchip and labeled with specifically designed platinum nanoprobes to induce gas bubble formation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The formed bubbles are controlled to make distinct visual patterns, allowing simple and sensitive virus detection using a convolutional neural network (CNN)-enabled smartphone system and without using any optical hardware smartphone attachment. We evaluated the developed CNN-NES for testing viruses such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), HCV, and Zika virus (ZIKV). The CNN-NES was tested with 134 ZIKV- and HBV-spiked and ZIKV- and HCV-infected patient plasma/serum samples. The sensitivity of the system in qualitatively detecting viral-infected samples with a clinically relevant virus concentration threshold of 250 copies/ml was 98.97% with a confidence interval of 94.39 to 99.97%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed S Draz
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anish Vasan
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139, USA
| | - Aradana Muthupandian
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139, USA
| | - Manoj Kumar Kanakasabapathy
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Prudhvi Thirumalaraju
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139, USA
| | - Aparna Sreeram
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139, USA
| | - Sanchana Krishnakumar
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139, USA
| | - Vinish Yogesh
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139, USA
| | - Wenyu Lin
- Liver Center, Gastrointestinal Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Xu G Yu
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139, USA
- The Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Raymond T Chung
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Liver Center, Gastrointestinal Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Hadi Shafiee
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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20
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Hulme PE, Baker R, Freckleton R, Hails RS, Hartley M, Harwood J, Marion G, Smith GC, Williamson M. The Epidemiological Framework for Biological Invasions (EFBI): an interdisciplinary foundation for the assessment of biosecurity threats. NEOBIOTA 2020. [DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.62.52463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Emerging microparasite (e.g. viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi) epidemics and the introduction of non-native pests and weeds are major biosecurity threats worldwide. The likelihood of these threats is often estimated from probabilities of their entry, establishment, spread and ease of prevention. If ecosystems are considered equivalent to hosts, then compartment disease models should provide a useful framework for understanding the processes that underpin non-native species invasions. To enable greater cross-fertilisation between these two disciplines, the Epidemiological Framework for Biological Invasions (EFBI) is developed that classifies ecosystems in relation to their invasion status: Susceptible, Exposed, Infectious and Resistant. These states are linked by transitions relating to transmission, latency and recovery. This viewpoint differs markedly from the species-centric approaches often applied to non-native species. It allows generalisations from epidemiology, such as the force of infection, the basic reproductive ratio R0, super-spreaders, herd immunity, cordon sanitaire and ring vaccination, to be discussed in the novel context of non-native species and helps identify important gaps in the study of biological invasions. The EFBI approach highlights several limitations inherent in current approaches to the study of biological invasions including: (i) the variance in non-native abundance across ecosystems is rarely reported; (ii) field data rarely (if ever) distinguish source from sink ecosystems; (iii) estimates of the susceptibility of ecosystems to invasion seldom account for differences in exposure to non-native species; and (iv) assessments of ecosystem susceptibility often confuse the processes that underpin patterns of spread within -and between- ecosystems. Using the invasion of lakes as a model, the EFBI approach is shown to present a new biosecurity perspective that takes account of ecosystem status and complements demographic models to deliver clearer insights into the dynamics of biological invasions at the landscape scale. It will help to identify whether management of the susceptibility of ecosystems, of the number of vectors, or of the diversity of pathways (for movement between ecosystems) is the best way of limiting or reversing the population growth of a non-native species. The framework can be adapted to incorporate increasing levels of complexity and realism and to provide insights into how to monitor, map and manage biological invasions more effectively.
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Kim JH, Im J, Parajulee P, Holm M, Cruz Espinoza LM, Poudyal N, Mogeni OD, Marks F. A Systematic Review of Typhoid Fever Occurrence in Africa. Clin Infect Dis 2020; 69:S492-S498. [PMID: 31665777 PMCID: PMC6821235 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciz525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Our current understanding of the burden and distribution of typhoid fever in Africa relies on extrapolation of data from a small number of population-based incidence rate estimates. However, many other records on the occurrence of typhoid fever are available, and those records contain information that may enrich our understanding of the epidemiology of the disease as well as secular trends in reporting by country and over time. METHODS We conducted a systematic review of typhoid fever occurrence in Africa, published in PubMed, Embase, and ProMED (Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases). RESULTS At least one episode of culture-confirmed typhoid fever was reported in 42 of 57 African countries during 1900-2018. The number of reports on typhoid fever has increased over time in Africa and was highly heterogeneous between countries and over time. Outbreaks of typhoid fever were reported in 15 countries, with their frequency and size increasing over time. CONCLUSIONS Efforts should be made to leverage existing typhoid data, for example, by incorporating them into models for estimating the burden and distribution of typhoid fever.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong-Hoon Kim
- Public Health, Access, and Vaccine Epidemiology (PAVE) Unit, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea
| | - Justin Im
- Public Health, Access, and Vaccine Epidemiology (PAVE) Unit, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea
| | - Prerana Parajulee
- Public Health, Access, and Vaccine Epidemiology (PAVE) Unit, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea
| | - Marianne Holm
- Public Health, Access, and Vaccine Epidemiology (PAVE) Unit, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea
| | - Ligia Maria Cruz Espinoza
- Public Health, Access, and Vaccine Epidemiology (PAVE) Unit, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea
| | - Nimesh Poudyal
- Public Health, Access, and Vaccine Epidemiology (PAVE) Unit, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea
| | - Ondari D Mogeni
- Public Health, Access, and Vaccine Epidemiology (PAVE) Unit, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea
| | - Florian Marks
- Public Health, Access, and Vaccine Epidemiology (PAVE) Unit, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea.,Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
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22
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Green J, Jakins C, Asfaw E, Bruschi N, Parker A, de Waal L, D’Cruze N. African Lions and Zoonotic Diseases: Implications for Commercial Lion Farms in South Africa. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10091692. [PMID: 32962130 PMCID: PMC7552683 DOI: 10.3390/ani10091692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary In South Africa, thousands of African lions are bred on farms for commercial purposes, such as tourism, trophy hunting, and traditional medicine. Lions on farms often have direct contact with people, such as farm workers and tourists. Such close contact between wild animals and humans creates opportunities for the spread of zoonotic diseases (diseases that can be passed between animals and people). To help understand the health risks associated with lion farms, our study compiled a list of pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi) known to affect African lions. We reviewed 148 scientific papers and identified a total of 63 pathogens recorded in both wild and captive lions, most of which were parasites (35, 56%), followed by viruses (17, 27%) and bacteria (11, 17%). This included pathogens that can be passed from lions to other animals and to humans. We also found a total of 83 diseases and clinical symptoms associated with these pathogens. Given that pathogens and their associated infectious diseases can cause harm to both animals and public health, we recommend that the lion farming industry in South Africa takes action to prevent and manage potential disease outbreaks. Abstract African lions (Panthera leo) are bred in captivity on commercial farms across South Africa and often have close contact with farm staff, tourists, and other industry workers. As transmission of zoonotic diseases occurs through close proximity between wildlife and humans, these commercial captive breeding operations pose a potential risk to thousands of captive lions and to public health. An understanding of pathogens known to affect lions is needed to effectively assess the risk of disease emergence and transmission within the industry. Here, we conduct a systematic search of the academic literature, identifying 148 peer-reviewed studies, to summarize the range of pathogens and parasites known to affect African lions. A total of 63 pathogenic organisms were recorded, belonging to 35 genera across 30 taxonomic families. Over half were parasites (35, 56%), followed by viruses (17, 27%) and bacteria (11, 17%). A number of novel pathogens representing unidentified and undescribed species were also reported. Among the pathogenic inventory are species that can be transmitted from lions to other species, including humans. In addition, 83 clinical symptoms and diseases associated with these pathogens were identified. Given the risks posed by infectious diseases, this research highlights the potential public health risks associated with the captive breeding industry. We recommend that relevant authorities take imminent action to help prevent and manage the risks posed by zoonotic pathogens on lion farms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennah Green
- World Animal Protection 222 Gray’s Inn Rd., London WC1X 8HB, UK; (J.G.); (E.A.); (N.B.); (A.P.)
| | - Catherine Jakins
- Blood Lion NPC, P.O. Box 1548, Kloof 3640, South Africa; (C.J.); (L.d.W.)
| | - Eyob Asfaw
- World Animal Protection 222 Gray’s Inn Rd., London WC1X 8HB, UK; (J.G.); (E.A.); (N.B.); (A.P.)
| | - Nicholas Bruschi
- World Animal Protection 222 Gray’s Inn Rd., London WC1X 8HB, UK; (J.G.); (E.A.); (N.B.); (A.P.)
| | - Abbie Parker
- World Animal Protection 222 Gray’s Inn Rd., London WC1X 8HB, UK; (J.G.); (E.A.); (N.B.); (A.P.)
| | - Louise de Waal
- Blood Lion NPC, P.O. Box 1548, Kloof 3640, South Africa; (C.J.); (L.d.W.)
| | - Neil D’Cruze
- World Animal Protection 222 Gray’s Inn Rd., London WC1X 8HB, UK; (J.G.); (E.A.); (N.B.); (A.P.)
- Correspondence:
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23
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Larkins S, Carlisle K, Harrington H, MacLaren D, Lovo E, Harrington R, Fernandes Alves L, Rafai E, Delai M, Whittaker M. From the Frontline: Strengthening Surveillance and Response Capacities of the Rural Workforce in the Asia-Pacific Region. How Can Grass-Roots Implementation Research Help? Front Public Health 2020; 8:507. [PMID: 33042947 PMCID: PMC7524875 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Health systems in the Asia-Pacific region are poorly prepared for pandemic threats, particularly in rural/provincial areas. Yet future emerging infectious diseases are highly likely to emerge in these rural/provincial areas, due to high levels of contact between animals and humans (domestically and through agricultural activities), over-stretched and under-resourced health systems, notably within the health workforce, and a diverse array of socio-cultural determinants of health. In order to optimally implement health security measures at the frontline of health services where the people are served, it is vital to build capacity at the local district and facility level to adapt national and global guidelines to local contexts, including health systems, and community and socio-cultural realities. During 2017/18 James Cook University (JCU) facilitated an implementation research training program (funded by Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) for rural/provincial and regional health and biosecurity workers and managers from Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. This training was designed so frontline health workers could learn research in their workplace, with no funding other than workplace resources, on topics relevant to health security in their local setting. The program, based upon the WHO-TDR Structured Operational Research and Training IniTiative (SORT-IT) consists of three blocks of teaching and a small, workplace-based research project. Over 50 projects by health workers including surveillance staff, laboratory managers, disease control officers, and border security staff included: analysis and mapping of surveillance data, infection control, IHR readiness, prevention/response and outbreak investigation. Policy briefs written by participants have informed local, provincial and national health managers, policy makers and development partners and provided on-the-ground recommendations for improved practice and training. These policy briefs reflected the socio-cultural, health system and disease-specific realities of each context. The information in the policy briefs can be used collectively to assess and strengthen health workforce capacity in rural/provincial areas. The capacity to use robust but simple research tools for formative and evaluative purposes provides sustainable capacity in the health system, particularly the rural health workforce. This capacity improves responses to infectious diseases threats and builds resilience into fragile health systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Larkins
- Anton Breinl Research Centre for Health Systems Strengthening, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Karen Carlisle
- Anton Breinl Research Centre for Health Systems Strengthening, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Humpress Harrington
- Anton Breinl Research Centre for Health Systems Strengthening, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,Atoifi Health Research Group, Atoifi Adventist Hospital, Malaita, Solomon Islands
| | - David MacLaren
- Anton Breinl Research Centre for Health Systems Strengthening, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,Atoifi Health Research Group, Atoifi Adventist Hospital, Malaita, Solomon Islands
| | - Etivina Lovo
- Anton Breinl Research Centre for Health Systems Strengthening, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,Fiji Institute of Pacific Health Research, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji
| | - Relmah Harrington
- Anton Breinl Research Centre for Health Systems Strengthening, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,Atoifi Health Research Group, Atoifi Adventist Hospital, Malaita, Solomon Islands
| | - Lucsendar Fernandes Alves
- Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, NT, Australia.,World Health Organization, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Eric Rafai
- Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Suva, Fiji
| | - Mere Delai
- Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Suva, Fiji
| | - Maxine Whittaker
- Anton Breinl Research Centre for Health Systems Strengthening, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
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Annand EJ, High H, Wong FYK, Phommachanh P, Chanthavisouk C, Happold J, Dhingra MS, Eagles D, Britton PN, Alders RG. Detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Sekong Province Lao PDR 2018-Potential for improved surveillance and management in endemic regions. Transbound Emerg Dis 2020; 68:168-182. [PMID: 32686364 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Significant global efforts have been directed towards understanding the epidemiology of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) across poultry production systems and in wild-bird reservoirs, yet understanding of disease dynamics in the village poultry setting remains limited. This article provides a detailed account of the first laboratory-confirmed outbreak of HPAI in the south-eastern provinces of Lao PDR, which occurred in a village in Sekong Province in October 2018. Perspectives from an anthropologist conducting fieldwork at the time of the outbreak, clinical and epidemiological observations by an Australian veterinarian are combined with laboratory characterization and sequencing of the virus to provide insights about disease dynamics, biosecurity, outbreak response and impediments to disease surveillance. Market-purchased chickens were considered the likely source of the outbreak. Observations highlighted the significance of a-lack-of pathognomonic clinical signs and commonness of high-mortality poultry disease with consequent importance of laboratory diagnosis. Sample submission and testing was found to be efficient, despite the village being far from the national veterinary diagnostic laboratory. Extensively raised poultry play key roles in ritual, livelihoods and nutrition of rural Lao PDR people. Unfortunately, mass mortality of chickens due to diseases such as HPAI and Newcastle disease (ND) imposes a significant burden on smallholders in Lao PDR, as in most other SE Asian countries. We observed that high mortality of chickens is perceived by locals as a new 'normal' in raising poultry; this sense of it being 'normal' is a disincentive to reporting of mortality events. Establishing effective people-centred disease-surveillance approaches with local benefit, improving market-biosecurity and veterinary-service support to control vaccine-preventable poultry diseases could all reduce mass-mortality event frequency, improve veterinary-producer relationships and increase the likelihood that mortality events are reported. Priority in each of these aspects should be on working with smallholders and local traders, appreciating and respecting their perspectives and local knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward J Annand
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Health and Biosecurity, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Holly High
- Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, School of Social and Political Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Frank Y K Wong
- Australian Animal Health Laboratory, CSIRO, Geelong, Vic., Australia
| | - Phouvong Phommachanh
- National Animal Health Laboratory, Department of Livestock and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Vientiane, Lao PDR
| | | | - Jonathan Happold
- Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, School of Social and Political Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Ausvet, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | - Debbie Eagles
- Australian Animal Health Laboratory, CSIRO, Geelong, Vic., Australia
| | - Philip N Britton
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Robyn G Alders
- Centre on Global Health Security, Chatham House, London, UK.,Kyeema Foundation, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.,Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA.,Development Policy Centre, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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25
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Fitak RR, Antonides JD, Baitchman EJ, Bonaccorso E, Braun J, Kubiski S, Chiu E, Fagre AC, Gagne RB, Lee JS, Malmberg JL, Stenglein MD, Dusek RJ, Forgacs D, Fountain-Jones NM, Gilbertson MLJ, Worsley-Tonks KEL, Funk WC, Trumbo DR, Ghersi BM, Grimaldi W, Heisel SE, Jardine CM, Kamath PL, Karmacharya D, Kozakiewicz CP, Kraberger S, Loisel DA, McDonald C, Miller S, O'Rourke D, Ott-Conn CN, Páez-Vacas M, Peel AJ, Turner WC, VanAcker MC, VandeWoude S, Pecon-Slattery J. The Expectations and Challenges of Wildlife Disease Research in the Era of Genomics: Forecasting with a Horizon Scan-like Exercise. J Hered 2020; 110:261-274. [PMID: 31067326 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esz001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The outbreak and transmission of disease-causing pathogens are contributing to the unprecedented rate of biodiversity decline. Recent advances in genomics have coalesced into powerful tools to monitor, detect, and reconstruct the role of pathogens impacting wildlife populations. Wildlife researchers are thus uniquely positioned to merge ecological and evolutionary studies with genomic technologies to exploit unprecedented "Big Data" tools in disease research; however, many researchers lack the training and expertise required to use these computationally intensive methodologies. To address this disparity, the inaugural "Genomics of Disease in Wildlife" workshop assembled early to mid-career professionals with expertise across scientific disciplines (e.g., genomics, wildlife biology, veterinary sciences, and conservation management) for training in the application of genomic tools to wildlife disease research. A horizon scanning-like exercise, an activity to identify forthcoming trends and challenges, performed by the workshop participants identified and discussed 5 themes considered to be the most pressing to the application of genomics in wildlife disease research: 1) "Improving communication," 2) "Methodological and analytical advancements," 3) "Translation into practice," 4) "Integrating landscape ecology and genomics," and 5) "Emerging new questions." Wide-ranging solutions from the horizon scan were international in scope, itemized both deficiencies and strengths in wildlife genomic initiatives, promoted the use of genomic technologies to unite wildlife and human disease research, and advocated best practices for optimal use of genomic tools in wildlife disease projects. The results offer a glimpse of the potential revolution in human and wildlife disease research possible through multi-disciplinary collaborations at local, regional, and global scales.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer D Antonides
- Department of Forestry & Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
| | - Eric J Baitchman
- The Zoo New England Division of Animal Health and Conservation, Boston, MA
| | - Elisa Bonaccorso
- The Instituto BIOSFERA and Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, vía Interoceánica y Diego de Robles, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Josephine Braun
- The Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, Escondido, CA
| | - Steven Kubiski
- The Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, Escondido, CA
| | - Elliott Chiu
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Anna C Fagre
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Roderick B Gagne
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Justin S Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Jennifer L Malmberg
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Mark D Stenglein
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Robert J Dusek
- The U. S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI
| | - David Forgacs
- The Interdisciplinary Graduate Program of Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
| | | | - Marie L J Gilbertson
- The Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
| | | | - W Chris Funk
- The Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Daryl R Trumbo
- The Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | | | | | - Sara E Heisel
- The Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
| | - Claire M Jardine
- The Department of Pathobiology, Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pauline L Kamath
- The School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, Orono, ME
| | | | | | - Simona Kraberger
- The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
| | - Dagan A Loisel
- The Department of Biology, Saint Michael's College, Colchester, VT
| | - Cait McDonald
- The Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (McDonald)
| | - Steven Miller
- The Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Caitlin N Ott-Conn
- The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Disease Laboratory, Lansing, MI
| | - Mónica Páez-Vacas
- The Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático (BioCamb), Facultad de Ciencias de Medio Ambiente, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Machala y Sabanilla, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Alison J Peel
- The Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - Wendy C Turner
- The Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY
| | - Meredith C VanAcker
- The Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Sue VandeWoude
- The College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Jill Pecon-Slattery
- The Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute-National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA
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26
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Brunker K, Jaswant G, Thumbi S, Lushasi K, Lugelo A, Czupryna AM, Ade F, Wambura G, Chuchu V, Steenson R, Ngeleja C, Bautista C, Manalo DL, Gomez MRR, Chu MYJV, Miranda ME, Kamat M, Rysava K, Espineda J, Silo EAV, Aringo AM, Bernales RP, Adonay FF, Tildesley MJ, Marston DA, Jennings DL, Fooks AR, Zhu W, Meredith LW, Hill SC, Poplawski R, Gifford RJ, Singer JB, Maturi M, Mwatondo A, Biek R, Hampson K. Rapid in-country sequencing of whole virus genomes to inform rabies elimination programmes. Wellcome Open Res 2020; 5:3. [PMID: 32090172 PMCID: PMC7001756 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15518.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomic surveillance is an important aspect of contemporary disease management but has yet to be used routinely to monitor endemic disease transmission and control in low- and middle-income countries. Rabies is an almost invariably fatal viral disease that causes a large public health and economic burden in Asia and Africa, despite being entirely vaccine preventable. With policy efforts now directed towards achieving a global goal of zero dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030, establishing effective surveillance tools is critical. Genomic data can provide important and unique insights into rabies spread and persistence that can direct control efforts. However, capacity for genomic research in low- and middle-income countries is held back by limited laboratory infrastructure, cost, supply chains and other logistical challenges. Here we present and validate an end-to-end workflow to facilitate affordable whole genome sequencing for rabies surveillance utilising nanopore technology. We used this workflow in Kenya, Tanzania and the Philippines to generate rabies virus genomes in two to three days, reducing costs to approximately £60 per genome. This is over half the cost of metagenomic sequencing previously conducted for Tanzanian samples, which involved exporting samples to the UK and a three- to six-month lag time. Ongoing optimization of workflows are likely to reduce these costs further. We also present tools to support routine whole genome sequencing and interpretation for genomic surveillance. Moreover, combined with training workshops to empower scientists in-country, we show that local sequencing capacity can be readily established and sustainable, negating the common misperception that cutting-edge genomic research can only be conducted in high resource laboratories. More generally, we argue that the capacity to harness genomic data is a game-changer for endemic disease surveillance and should precipitate a new wave of researchers from low- and middle-income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirstyn Brunker
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
- The Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Gurdeep Jaswant
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
- University of Nairobi Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (UNITID), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - S.M. Thumbi
- University of Nairobi Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (UNITID), Nairobi, Kenya
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | | | - Ahmed Lugelo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Public Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Anna M. Czupryna
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Fred Ade
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Gati Wambura
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Veronicah Chuchu
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Rachel Steenson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Chanasa Ngeleja
- Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Criselda Bautista
- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Manilla, Philippines
| | - Daria L. Manalo
- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Manilla, Philippines
| | | | | | - Mary Elizabeth Miranda
- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Manilla, Philippines
- Field Epidemiology Training Program Alumni Foundation (FETPAFI), Manilla, Philippines
| | - Maya Kamat
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Kristyna Rysava
- The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology & Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, School of Life Sciences and Mathematical Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Jason Espineda
- Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 5, Regional Animal Disease, Diagnostic Laboratory, Cabangan, Camalig, Albay, Philippines
| | - Eva Angelica V. Silo
- Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 5, Regional Animal Disease, Diagnostic Laboratory, Cabangan, Camalig, Albay, Philippines
| | - Ariane Mae Aringo
- Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 5, Regional Animal Disease, Diagnostic Laboratory, Cabangan, Camalig, Albay, Philippines
| | - Rona P. Bernales
- Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 5, Regional Animal Disease, Diagnostic Laboratory, Cabangan, Camalig, Albay, Philippines
| | - Florencio F. Adonay
- Albay Veterinary Office, Provincial Government of Albay, Albay Farmers' Bounty Village, Cabangan, Camalig, Albay, Philippines
| | - Michael J. Tildesley
- The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology & Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, School of Life Sciences and Mathematical Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Denise A. Marston
- Wildlife Zoonoses & Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge, UK
| | - Daisy L. Jennings
- Wildlife Zoonoses & Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge, UK
| | - Anthony R. Fooks
- Wildlife Zoonoses & Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge, UK
- Institute of Infection and Global Health,, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Wenlong Zhu
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | | | | | - Radoslaw Poplawski
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
- Advanced Research Computing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Robert J. Gifford
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR), University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Joshua B. Singer
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR), University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Mathew Maturi
- Zoonotic Disease Unit, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Athman Mwatondo
- Zoonotic Disease Unit, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Roman Biek
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
- The Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Katie Hampson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
- The Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
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Su D, Chen Y, He K, Zhang T, Tan M, Zhang Y, Zhang X. Influence of socio-ecological factors on COVID-19 risk: a cross-sectional study based on 178 countries/regions worldwide. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2020:2020.04.23.20077545. [PMID: 32511588 PMCID: PMC7276015 DOI: 10.1101/2020.04.23.20077545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Background The initial outbreak of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in China in 2019 has been severely tested in other countries worldwide. We aimed to describe the spatial distribution of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide and assess the effects of various socio-ecological factors on COVID-19 risk. Methods We collected COVID-19 pandemic infection data and social-ecological data of 178 countries/regions worldwide from three database. We used spatial econometrics method to assess the global and local correlation of COVID-19 risk indicators for COVID-19. To estimate the adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR), we modelled negative binomial regression analysis with spatial information and socio-ecological factors. Findings The study indicated that 37, 29 and 39 countries/regions were strongly opposite from the IR, CMR and DCI index "spatial autocorrelation hypothesis", respectively. The IRs were significantly positively associated with GDP per capita, the use of at least basic sanitation services and social insurance program coverage, and were significantly negatively associated with the proportion of the population spending more than 25% of household consumption or income on out-of-pocket health care expenses and the poverty headcount ratio at the national poverty lines. The CMR was significantly positively associated with urban populations, GDP per capita and current health expenditure, and was significantly negatively associated with the number of hospital beds, number of nurses and midwives, and poverty headcount ratio at the national poverty lines. The DCI was significantly positively associated with urban populations, population density and researchers in R&D, and was significantly negatively associated with the number of hospital beds, number of nurses and midwives and poverty headcount ratio at the national poverty lines. We also found that climatic factors were not significantly associated with COVID-19 risk. Conclusion Countries/regions should pay more attention to controlling population flow, improving diagnosis and treatment capacity, and improving public welfare policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dai Su
- Department of Health Management, School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Research Center for Rural Health Services, Hubei Province Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yingchun Chen
- Department of Health Management, School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Research Center for Rural Health Services, Hubei Province Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Kevin He
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Tao Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, West China School of Public Health and West China fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, China
| | - Min Tan
- Department of Health Management, School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Research Center for Rural Health Services, Hubei Province Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yunfan Zhang
- Department of Health Management, School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Research Center for Rural Health Services, Hubei Province Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Xingyu Zhang
- Department of Systems, Populations, and Leadership, University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, United States
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Ebata A, Hodge C, Braam D, Waldman L, Sharp J, MacGregor H, Moore H. Power, participation and their problems: A consideration of power dynamics in the use of participatory epidemiology for one health and zoonoses research. Prev Vet Med 2020; 177:104940. [PMID: 32244084 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2020.104940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The use of Participatory Epidemiology in veterinary research intends to include livestock keepers and other local stakeholders in research processes and the development of solutions to animal health problems, including potentially zoonotic diseases. It can also be an attempt to bring some of the methods and insights of social science into a discipline largely shaped by natural science methods and ways of seeing the world. The introduction of participatory methodologies to veterinary epidemiology and disease surveillance follows a wider movement in development thinking, questioning the top-down nature of much post-second world war development efforts directed from the Global North towards the Global South. In the best cases, participatory methods can help to empower the poor and marginalised to participate in and have some control over research and interventions which affect them. Compiled from experience in multi-disciplinary One Health projects, this paper briefly traces the rise of participatory epidemiology before examining some of the limitations observed in its implementation and steps that might be taken to alleviate the problems observed. The three areas in which the operationalisation of Participatory Epidemiology in veterinary and One Health research could be improved are identified as: broadening the focus of engagement with communities beyond quantitative data extraction; taking note of the wider power structures in which research takes place, and questioning who speaks for a community when participatory methods are used. In particular, the focus falls on how researchers from different disciplines, including veterinary medicine and the social sciences, can work together to ensure that participatory epidemiology is employed in such a way that it improves the quality of life of both people and animals around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayako Ebata
- Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, Floor 7, Maple House 149, Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7NF, London, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine Hodge
- Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, Floor 7, Maple House 149, Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7NF, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Dorien Braam
- Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, Floor 7, Maple House 149, Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7NF, London, United Kingdom
| | - Linda Waldman
- Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, Floor 7, Maple House 149, Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7NF, London, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne Sharp
- Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, Floor 7, Maple House 149, Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7NF, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hayley MacGregor
- Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, Floor 7, Maple House 149, Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7NF, London, United Kingdom
| | - Henrietta Moore
- Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, Floor 7, Maple House 149, Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7NF, London, United Kingdom
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Brunker K, Jaswant G, Thumbi S, Lushasi K, Lugelo A, Czupryna AM, Ade F, Wambura G, Chuchu V, Steenson R, Ngeleja C, Bautista C, Manalo DL, Gomez MRR, Chu MYJV, Miranda ME, Kamat M, Rysava K, Espineda J, Silo EAV, Aringo AM, Bernales RP, Adonay FF, Tildesley MJ, Marston DA, Jennings DL, Fooks AR, Zhu W, Meredith LW, Hill SC, Poplawski R, Gifford RJ, Singer JB, Maturi M, Mwatondo A, Biek R, Hampson K. Rapid in-country sequencing of whole virus genomes to inform rabies elimination programmes. Wellcome Open Res 2020; 5:3. [PMID: 32090172 PMCID: PMC7001756 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15518.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Genomic surveillance is an important aspect of contemporary disease management but has yet to be used routinely to monitor endemic disease transmission and control in low- and middle-income countries. Rabies is an almost invariably fatal viral disease that causes a large public health and economic burden in Asia and Africa, despite being entirely vaccine preventable. With policy efforts now directed towards achieving a global goal of zero dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030, establishing effective surveillance tools is critical. Genomic data can provide important and unique insights into rabies spread and persistence that can direct control efforts. However, capacity for genomic research in low- and middle-income countries is held back by limited laboratory infrastructure, cost, supply chains and other logistical challenges. Here we present and validate an end-to-end workflow to facilitate affordable whole genome sequencing for rabies surveillance utilising nanopore technology. We used this workflow in Kenya, Tanzania and the Philippines to generate rabies virus genomes in two to three days, reducing costs to approximately £60 per genome. This is over half the cost of metagenomic sequencing previously conducted for Tanzanian samples, which involved exporting samples to the UK and a three- to six-month lag time. Ongoing optimization of workflows are likely to reduce these costs further. We also present tools to support routine whole genome sequencing and interpretation for genomic surveillance. Moreover, combined with training workshops to empower scientists in-country, we show that local sequencing capacity can be readily established and sustainable, negating the common misperception that cutting-edge genomic research can only be conducted in high resource laboratories. More generally, we argue that the capacity to harness genomic data is a game-changer for endemic disease surveillance and should precipitate a new wave of researchers from low- and middle-income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirstyn Brunker
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
- The Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Gurdeep Jaswant
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
- University of Nairobi Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (UNITID), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - S.M. Thumbi
- University of Nairobi Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (UNITID), Nairobi, Kenya
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | | | - Ahmed Lugelo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Public Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Anna M. Czupryna
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Fred Ade
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Gati Wambura
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Veronicah Chuchu
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Rachel Steenson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Chanasa Ngeleja
- Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Criselda Bautista
- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Manilla, Philippines
| | - Daria L. Manalo
- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Manilla, Philippines
| | | | | | - Mary Elizabeth Miranda
- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Manilla, Philippines
- Field Epidemiology Training Program Alumni Foundation (FETPAFI), Manilla, Philippines
| | - Maya Kamat
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Kristyna Rysava
- The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology & Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, School of Life Sciences and Mathematical Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Jason Espineda
- Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 5, Regional Animal Disease, Diagnostic Laboratory, Cabangan, Camalig, Albay, Philippines
| | - Eva Angelica V. Silo
- Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 5, Regional Animal Disease, Diagnostic Laboratory, Cabangan, Camalig, Albay, Philippines
| | - Ariane Mae Aringo
- Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 5, Regional Animal Disease, Diagnostic Laboratory, Cabangan, Camalig, Albay, Philippines
| | - Rona P. Bernales
- Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 5, Regional Animal Disease, Diagnostic Laboratory, Cabangan, Camalig, Albay, Philippines
| | - Florencio F. Adonay
- Albay Veterinary Office, Provincial Government of Albay, Albay Farmers' Bounty Village, Cabangan, Camalig, Albay, Philippines
| | - Michael J. Tildesley
- The Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology & Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, School of Life Sciences and Mathematical Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Denise A. Marston
- Wildlife Zoonoses & Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge, UK
| | - Daisy L. Jennings
- Wildlife Zoonoses & Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge, UK
| | - Anthony R. Fooks
- Wildlife Zoonoses & Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge, UK
- Institute of Infection and Global Health,, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Wenlong Zhu
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | | | | | - Radoslaw Poplawski
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
- Advanced Research Computing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Robert J. Gifford
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR), University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Joshua B. Singer
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR), University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Mathew Maturi
- Zoonotic Disease Unit, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Athman Mwatondo
- Zoonotic Disease Unit, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Roman Biek
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
- The Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Katie Hampson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
- The Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
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Railey AF, Lankester F, Lembo T, Reeve R, Shirima G, Marsh TL. Enhancing livestock vaccination decision-making through rapid diagnostic testing. WORLD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES 2019; 16:100144. [PMID: 32201751 PMCID: PMC7067263 DOI: 10.1016/j.wdp.2019.100144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
•Compared to vaccination, the collective approach to diagnostic testing presents a low-fixed cost.•Existing household livestock-health behaviors increase the likelihood for uptake of preventative health practices.•Initial evidence to support household investments in livestock preventative health over therapeutic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley F. Railey
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, USA
- Corresponding author.
| | - Felix Lankester
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, USA
| | - Tiziana Lembo
- Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Reeve
- Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Gabriel Shirima
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, USA
- Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Tanzania
| | - Thomas L. Marsh
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, USA
- School of Economic Sciences, Washington State University, USA
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Ong DSY, Poljak M. Smartphones as mobile microbiological laboratories. Clin Microbiol Infect 2019; 26:421-424. [PMID: 31610301 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2019.09.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Point-of-care (POC) tests provide an alternative to traditional laboratory-based diagnostics due to reduced turnaround times, portability and no need for highly trained laboratory staff. Smartphones can be integrated into POC platforms because of their multifunctionality, enabled by high-quality digital cameras, computer processors, touchscreen interface and wireless data transfer. It is predicted that by 2020 about 80% of the world population will use smartphones. OBJECTIVES This review summarizes the current state of the art regarding smartphones as part of a mobile microbiological laboratory. SOURCES Selected peer-reviewed publications on smartphone-based microbiological testing published between January 2015 and August 2019. CONTENT Smartphones can be used as instrumental interfaces, dongles, microscopes or test result readers (brightfield, colorimetric and fluorescent measurements), or combined with amplification methods such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) tests in portable POC test platforms. Smartphone-based tests offer opportunities for microbiological diagnostics in remote areas and both resource-limited and resource-rich settings. Wireless connectivity may facilitate epidemiological studies and creation of spatiotemporal disease prevalence maps. However, the current analytical performance of many smartphone-based POC tests must be improved and carefully validated in clinical settings by comparison with current diagnostic standards. IMPLICATIONS Recent developments in smartphone-based POC tests for infectious diseases are promising, as evidenced by results from many proof-of-concept studies. Further progress will foster large-scale implementation of smartphone-based POC as mobile microbiological laboratories in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- D S Y Ong
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, Franciscus Gasthuis & Vlietland, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - M Poljak
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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A Rational Explanation of Limited FMD Vaccine Uptake in Endemic Regions. Pathogens 2019; 8:pathogens8040181. [PMID: 31658689 PMCID: PMC6963929 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens8040181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccination for foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease remains low in parts of Africa despite the existence of vaccines. In East Africa, the presence of multiple virus serotypes and sub-types makes matching a vaccine with the circulating virus type in the field, or providing a high potency vaccine, a challenge. In this paper we use game theory to show that the resulting vaccine uncertainty associated with these vaccination conditions in an endemic setting help explain the low vaccine uptake. We evaluate vaccination for FMD in the context of East Africa due to FMD being endemic in the region, the diversity of FMD virus types, and barriers to implementing other disease control measures, such as controlled movements. We incorporate these conditions into a vaccination game setting and compare the payoffs to those of a traditional vaccination game for seasonal influenza and commercial livestock vaccination in a developed country context. In showing that vaccination provides households with a lower payoff than not vaccinating, our simple game theoretical explanation supports existing evidence calling for improved vaccine quality and efforts to enhance surveillance to provide early information on disease status.
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Thumbi SM, Njenga MK, Otiang E, Otieno L, Munyua P, Eichler S, Widdowson MA, McElwain TF, Palmer GH. Mobile phone-based surveillance for animal disease in rural communities: implications for detection of zoonoses spillover. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190020. [PMID: 31401960 PMCID: PMC6711315 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Improving the speed of outbreak detection and reporting at the community level are critical in managing the threat of emerging infectious diseases, many of which are zoonotic. The widespread use of mobile phones, including in rural areas, constitutes a potentially effective tool for real-time surveillance of infectious diseases. Using longitudinal data from a disease surveillance system implemented in 1500 households in rural Kenya, we test the effectiveness of mobile phone animal syndromic surveillance by comparing it with routine household animal health surveys, determine the individual and household correlates of its use and examine the broader implications for surveillance of zoonotic diseases. A total of 20 340 animal and death events were reported from the community through the two surveillance systems, half of which were confirmed as valid disease events. The probability of an event being valid was 2.1 times greater for the phone-based system, compared with the household visits. Illness events were 15 times (95% CI 12.8, 17.1) more likely to be reported through the phone system compared to routine household visits, but not death events (OR 0.1 (95% CI 0.09, 0.11)). Disease syndromes with severe presentations were more likely to be reported through the phone system. While controlling for herd and flock sizes owned, phone ownership was not a determinant of using the phone-based surveillance system, but the lack of a formal education, and having additional sources of income besides farming were associated with decreased likelihood of reporting through the phone system. Our study suggests that a phone-based surveillance system will be effective at detecting outbreaks of diseases such as Rift Valley fever that present with severe clinical signs in animal populations, but in the absence of additional reporting incentives, it may miss early outbreaks of diseases such as avian influenza that present primarily with mortality. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dynamic and integrative approaches to understanding pathogen spillover’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel M Thumbi
- Paul G Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7090, USA.,Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, PO Box 1578-4100, Kisumu, Kenya.,Washington State University-Global Health Program, Washington State University, PO Box 72938-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - M Kariuki Njenga
- Paul G Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7090, USA.,Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, PO Box 1578-4100, Kisumu, Kenya.,Washington State University-Global Health Program, Washington State University, PO Box 72938-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Elkanah Otiang
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, PO Box 1578-4100, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Linus Otieno
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, PO Box 1578-4100, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Peninah Munyua
- Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PO Box 606-00621, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Sarah Eichler
- Paul G Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7090, USA
| | - Marc-Alain Widdowson
- Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PO Box 606-00621, Nairobi, Kenya.,Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
| | - Terry F McElwain
- Paul G Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7090, USA
| | - Guy H Palmer
- Paul G Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7090, USA.,Washington State University-Global Health Program, Washington State University, PO Box 72938-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
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Wang F, Liu M, Ding R, Liang M, Huang L, Yu J, Si Y. Rechargeable Antibacterial Polysulfonamide-Based N-Halamine Nanofibrous Membranes for Bioprotective Applications. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2019; 2:3668-3677. [DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.9b00537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Fei Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Mei Liu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Ruida Ding
- College of Materials Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Mingguang Liang
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Liqian Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Jianyong Yu
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
- Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, China
| | - Yang Si
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
- Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051, China
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Hampson K, Ventura F, Steenson R, Mancy R, Trotter C, Cooper L, Abela-Ridder B, Knopf L, Ringenier M, Tenzin T, Ly S, Tarantola A, Moyengar R, Oussiguéré A, Bonfoh B, Narayana DHA, Sudarshan MK, Muturi M, Mwatondo A, Wambura G, Andriamandimby SF, Baril L, Edosoa GT, Traoré A, Jayme S, Kotzé J, Gunesekera A, Chitnis N, Hattendorf J, Laager M, Lechenne M, Zinsstag J, Changalucha J, Mtema Z, Lugelo A, Lushasi K, Yurachai O, Metcalf CJE, Rajeev M, Blanton J, Costa GB, Sreenivasan N, Wallace R, Briggs D, Taylor L, Thumbi SM, Huong NTT. The potential effect of improved provision of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis in Gavi-eligible countries: a modelling study. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2019; 19:102-111. [PMID: 30472178 PMCID: PMC6300480 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(18)30512-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tens of thousands of people die from dog-mediated rabies annually. Deaths can be prevented through post-exposure prophylaxis for people who have been bitten, and the disease eliminated through dog vaccination. Current post-exposure prophylaxis use saves many lives, but availability remains poor in many rabies-endemic countries due to high costs, poor access, and supply. METHODS We developed epidemiological and economic models to investigate the effect of an investment in post-exposure prophylaxis by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. We modelled post-exposure prophylaxis use according to the status quo, with improved access using WHO-recommended intradermal vaccination, with and without rabies immunoglobulin, and with and without dog vaccination. We took the health provider perspective, including only direct costs. FINDINGS We predict more than 1 million deaths will occur in the 67 rabies-endemic countries considered from 2020 to 2035, under the status quo. Current post-exposure prophylaxis use prevents approximately 56 000 deaths annually. Expanded access to, and free provision of, post-exposure prophylaxis would prevent an additional 489 000 deaths between 2020 and 2035. Under this switch to efficient intradermal post-exposure prophylaxis regimens, total projected vaccine needs remain similar (about 73 million vials) yet 17·4 million more people are vaccinated, making this an extremely cost-effective method, with costs of US$635 per death averted and $33 per disability-adjusted life-years averted. Scaling up dog vaccination programmes could eliminate dog-mediated rabies over this time period; improved post-exposure prophylaxis access remains cost-effective under this scenario, especially in combination with patient risk assessments to reduce unnecessary post-exposure prophylaxis use. INTERPRETATION Investing in post-exposure vaccines would be an extremely cost-effective intervention that could substantially reduce disease burden and catalyse dog vaccination efforts to eliminate dog-mediated rabies. FUNDING World Health Organization.
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Kemunto N, Mogoa E, Osoro E, Bitek A, Kariuki Njenga M, Thumbi SM. Zoonotic disease research in East Africa. BMC Infect Dis 2018; 18:545. [PMID: 30390630 PMCID: PMC6215645 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-018-3443-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The East African region is endemic with multiple zoonotic diseases and is one of the hotspots for emerging infectious zoonotic diseases with reported multiple outbreaks of epidemic diseases such as Ebola, Marburg and Rift Valley Fever. Here we present a systematic assessment of published research on zoonotic diseases in the region and thesis research in Kenya to understand the regional research focus and trends in publications, and estimate proportion of theses research transitioning to peer-reviewed journal publications. METHODS We searched PubMed, Google Scholar and African Journals Online databases for publications on 36 zoonotic diseases identified to have occurred in the East Africa countries of Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, for the period between 1920 and 2017. We searched libraries and queried online repositories for masters and PhD theses on these diseases produced between 1970 and 2016 in five universities and two research institutions in Kenya. RESULTS We identified 771 journal articles on 22, and 168 theses on 21 of the 36 zoonotic diseases investigated. Research on zoonotic diseases increased exponentially with the last 10 years of our study period contributing more than half of all publications 460 (60%) and theses 102 (61%) retrieved. Endemic diseases were the most studied accounting for 656 (85%) and 150 (89%) of the publication and theses studies respectively, with publications on epidemic diseases associated with outbreaks reported in the region or elsewhere. Epidemiological studies were the most common study types but limited to cross-sectional studies while socio-economics were the least studied. Only 11% of the theses research transitioned to peer-review publications, taking an average of 2.5 years from theses production to manuscript publication. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrate increased attention to zoonotic diseases in East Africa but reveal the need to expand the scope, focus and quality of studies to adequately address the public health, social and economic threats posed by zoonoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Kemunto
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, USA
- Washington State University Global Health Program Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Eddy Mogoa
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Eric Osoro
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, USA
- Washington State University Global Health Program Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Austin Bitek
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - M. Kariuki Njenga
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, USA
- Washington State University Global Health Program Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - S. M. Thumbi
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, USA
- Washington State University Global Health Program Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
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Draz MS, Kochehbyoki KM, Vasan A, Battalapalli D, Sreeram A, Kanakasabapathy MK, Kallakuri S, Tsibris A, Kuritzkes DR, Shafiee H. DNA engineered micromotors powered by metal nanoparticles for motion based cellphone diagnostics. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4282. [PMID: 30327456 PMCID: PMC6191441 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06727-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 infection is a major health threat in both developed and developing countries. The integration of mobile health approaches and bioengineered catalytic motors can allow the development of sensitive and portable technologies for HIV-1 management. Here, we report a platform that integrates cellphone-based optical sensing, loop-mediated isothermal DNA amplification and micromotor motion for molecular detection of HIV-1. The presence of HIV-1 RNA in a sample results in the formation of large-sized amplicons that reduce the motion of motors. The change in the motors motion can be accurately measured using a cellphone system as the biomarker for target nucleic acid detection. The presented platform allows the qualitative detection of HIV-1 (n = 54) with 99.1% specificity and 94.6% sensitivity at a clinically relevant threshold value of 1000 virus particles/ml. The cellphone system has the potential to enable the development of rapid and low-cost diagnostics for viruses and other infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Shehata Draz
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02139, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
- Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, 31527, Egypt
| | - Kamyar Mehrabi Kochehbyoki
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02139, MA, USA
| | - Anish Vasan
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02139, MA, USA
| | - Dheerendranath Battalapalli
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02139, MA, USA
| | - Aparna Sreeram
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02139, MA, USA
| | - Manoj Kumar Kanakasabapathy
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02139, MA, USA
| | - Shantanu Kallakuri
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02139, MA, USA
| | - Athe Tsibris
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02139, MA, USA
| | - Daniel R Kuritzkes
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02139, MA, USA
| | - Hadi Shafiee
- Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02139, MA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA.
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Yeh HY, Chen KH, Chen KT. Environmental Determinants of Infectious Disease Transmission: A Focus on One Health Concept. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:ijerph15061183. [PMID: 29882753 PMCID: PMC6025375 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15061183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Yi Yeh
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Liouying, Tainan 736, Taiwan.
| | - Kou-Huang Chen
- School of Mechanical & Electronic Engineering, Sanming University, Sanming City 365004, China.
| | - Kow-Tong Chen
- Department of Occupational Medicine, Tainan Municipal Hospital (Managed by Show Chwan Medical Care Corporation), Tainan 701, Taiwan.
- Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
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Lim MD, Brooker SJ, Belizario VY, Gay-Andrieu F, Gilleard J, Levecke B, van Lieshout L, Medley GF, Mekonnen Z, Mirams G, Njenga SM, Odiere MR, Rudge JW, Stuyver L, Vercruysse J, Vlaminck J, Walson JL. Diagnostic tools for soil-transmitted helminths control and elimination programs: A pathway for diagnostic product development. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006213. [PMID: 29494581 PMCID: PMC5832200 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mark D. Lim
- Global Health Division, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Simon J. Brooker
- Global Health Division, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, United States of America
| | | | | | - John Gilleard
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Bruno Levecke
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Gent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Lisette van Lieshout
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Graham F. Medley
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Maurice R. Odiere
- Centre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - James W. Rudge
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jozef Vercruysse
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Gent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Johnny Vlaminck
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Gent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Judd L. Walson
- Departments of Global Health, Medicine (Infectious Disease), Pediatrics and Epidemiology, University of Washington, United States of America
- Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
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A Comparative Analysis of Climate-Risk and Extreme Event-Related Impacts on Well-Being and Health: Policy Implications. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:ijerph15020331. [PMID: 29438345 PMCID: PMC5858400 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15020331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2017] [Revised: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
There are various climate risks that are caused or influenced by climate change. They are known to have a wide range of physical, economic, environmental and social impacts. Apart from damages to the physical environment, many climate risks (climate variability, extreme events and climate-related hazards) are associated with a variety of impacts on human well-being, health, and life-supporting systems. These vary from boosting the proliferation of vectors of diseases (e.g., mosquitos), to mental problems triggered by damage to properties and infrastructure. There is a great variety of literature about the strong links between climate change and health, while there is relatively less literature that specifically examines the health impacts of climate risks and extreme events. This paper is an attempt to address this knowledge gap, by compiling eight examples from a set of industrialised and developing countries, where such interactions are described. The policy implications of these phenomena and the lessons learned from the examples provided are summarised. Some suggestions as to how to avert the potential and real health impacts of climate risks are made, hence assisting efforts to adapt to a problem whose impacts affect millions of people around the world. All the examples studied show some degree of vulnerability to climate risks regardless of their socioeconomic status and need to increase resilience against extreme events.
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