Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic in eliminating trachoma as a public health problem

Blumberg, Seth and Borlase, Anna and Prada, Joaquin M. and Solomon, Anthony W. and Emerson, Paul and Hooper, Pamela J. and Deiner, Michael S. and Amoah, Benjamin and Hollingsworth, T. Deirdre and Porco, Travis C. and Lietman, Thomas M. (2021) Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic in eliminating trachoma as a public health problem. Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 115 (3). 222–228. ISSN 0035-9203

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

BackgroundProgress towards elimination of trachoma as a public health problem has been substantial, but the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted community-based control efforts. MethodsWe use a susceptible-infected model to estimate the impact of delayed distribution of azithromycin treatment on the prevalence of active trachoma. ResultsWe identify three distinct scenarios for geographic districts depending on whether the basic reproduction number and the treatment-associated reproduction number are above or below a value of 1. We find that when the basic reproduction number is <1, no significant delays in disease control will be caused. However, when the basic reproduction number is >1, significant delays can occur. In most districts, 1 y of COVID-related delay can be mitigated by a single extra round of mass drug administration. However, supercritical districts require a new paradigm of infection control because the current strategies will not eliminate disease. ConclusionsIf the pandemic can motivate judicious, community-specific implementation of control strategies, global elimination of trachoma as a public health problem could be accelerated.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Additional Information:
This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated versionSeth Blumberg, Anna Borlase, Joaquin M Prada, Anthony W Solomon, Paul Emerson, Pamela J Hooper, Michael S Deiner, Benjamin Amoah, T Déirdre Hollingsworth, Travis C Porco, Thomas M Lietman, Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic in eliminating trachoma as a public health problem, Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 115, Issue 3, March 2021, Pages 222–228 is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/traa170
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2725
Subjects:
?? controlcovid-19eliminationmass drug administrationmathematical modellingtrachomainfectious diseasespublic health, environmental and occupational healthparasitology ??
ID Code:
151845
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
18 Feb 2021 12:10
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 21:26