TY - JOUR
KW - Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
KW - Parasitology
KW - Infectious Diseases
KW - General Medicine
KW - Covid-19
AU - Borlase A
AU - Blumberg S
AU - Callahan EK
AU - Deiner M
AU - Nash SD
AU - Porco TC
AU - Solomon AW
AU - Lietman TM
AU - Prada J
AU - Hollingsworth TD
AB - Abstract
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted planned annual antibiotic mass drug administration (MDA) activities that have formed the cornerstone of the largely successful global efforts to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem.
Methods
Using a mathematical model we investigate the impact of interruption to MDA in trachoma-endemic settings. We evaluate potential measures to mitigate this impact and consider alternative strategies for accelerating progress in those areas where the trachoma elimination targets may not be achievable otherwise.
Results
We demonstrate that for districts that were hyperendemic at baseline, or where the trachoma elimination thresholds have not already been achieved after three rounds of MDA, the interruption to planned MDA could lead to a delay to reaching elimination targets greater than the duration of interruption. We also show that an additional round of MDA in the year following MDA resumption could effectively mitigate this delay. For districts where the probability of elimination under annual MDA was already very low, we demonstrate that more intensive MDA schedules are needed to achieve agreed targets.
Conclusion
Through appropriate use of additional MDA, the impact of COVID-19 in terms of delay to reaching trachoma elimination targets can be effectively mitigated. Additionally, more frequent MDA may accelerate progress towards 2030 goals.
BT - Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
DO - 10.1093/trstmh/traa171
IS - 3
LA - eng
N2 - Abstract
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted planned annual antibiotic mass drug administration (MDA) activities that have formed the cornerstone of the largely successful global efforts to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem.
Methods
Using a mathematical model we investigate the impact of interruption to MDA in trachoma-endemic settings. We evaluate potential measures to mitigate this impact and consider alternative strategies for accelerating progress in those areas where the trachoma elimination targets may not be achievable otherwise.
Results
We demonstrate that for districts that were hyperendemic at baseline, or where the trachoma elimination thresholds have not already been achieved after three rounds of MDA, the interruption to planned MDA could lead to a delay to reaching elimination targets greater than the duration of interruption. We also show that an additional round of MDA in the year following MDA resumption could effectively mitigate this delay. For districts where the probability of elimination under annual MDA was already very low, we demonstrate that more intensive MDA schedules are needed to achieve agreed targets.
Conclusion
Through appropriate use of additional MDA, the impact of COVID-19 in terms of delay to reaching trachoma elimination targets can be effectively mitigated. Additionally, more frequent MDA may accelerate progress towards 2030 goals.
PB - Oxford University Press (OUP)
PY - 2021
SP - 213
EP - 221
T2 - Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
TI - Modelling trachoma post-2020: opportunities for mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and accelerating progress towards elimination
UR - https://academic.oup.com/trstmh/article-pdf/115/3/213/36508383/traa171.pdf
VL - 115
SN - 0035-9203, 1878-3503
ER -