Lim RM, Arme TM, Pedersen AB, Webster JP, Lamberton PHL. Defining schistosomiasis hotspots based on literature and shareholder interviews.
Trends Parasitol 2023;
39:1032-1049. [PMID:
37806786 DOI:
10.1016/j.pt.2023.09.006]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently proposed a new operational definition which designates communities with ≥10% prevalence of Schistosoma spp. infection as a persistent hotspot, when, after at least two rounds of high-coverage annual preventive chemotherapy, there is a lack of appropriate reduction. However, inconsistencies and challenges from both biological and operational perspectives remain, making the prescriptive use of this definition difficult. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the use of the term 'hotspot' across schistosomiasis research over time, including both literature searches and opinions from a range of stakeholders, to assess the utility and generalisability of the new WHO definition of a persistent hotspot. Importantly, we propose an updated definition based on our analyses.
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