Containment measures for emerging and re-emerging vector-borne and other infectious diseases of poverty in urban settings: a scoping review

Abstract

BackgroundThe emergence and re-emergence of vector-borne and other infectious diseases of poverty pose a threat to the health of populations living in urban and low-income settings. A detailed understanding of intervention strategies, including effectiveness of past outbreak containment, is necessary to improve future practices. The objective was to determine what is known about the effectiveness of containment measures for emerging and re-emerging vector-borne and other infectious diseases of poverty in urban settings and identify research gaps and implications for public health practice.Main bodyWe conducted a scoping review and systematically searched peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 2000 and 2016. Different data extraction tools were used for data coding and extraction, and data on implementation process and transferability were extracted from all studies. A quality assessment was conducted for each included study.We screened 205 full-text articles and reports for a total of 31 articles included in the review. The quality of the studies was generally low to moderate. The largest body of evidence concerned control activities for Ebola virus and dengue fever. The majority of interventions (87%) relied on multiple types of measures, which were grouped into four categories: 1) healthcare provision; 2) epidemiological investigation and/or surveillance; 3) environmental or sanitary interventions; and 4) community-based interventions. The quality of the majority of studies (90%) was poor or moderate, and one-third of the studies did not provide a clear description of the outcomes and of the procedures and/or tools used for the intervention.ConclusionsOur results highlight the difficulty of establishing causation when assessing the effect of containment measures. Studies that extend beyond solely reporting on effectiveness and take into account the complexity of real-world settings are urgently needed. We recommend the allocation of research efforts to the evaluation of the implementation processes of interventions as well as their comprehensive and systematic description using validated checklists.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40249-018-0478-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The COVID-19 Pandemic in Francophone West Africa: From the First Cases to Responses in Seven Countries

“…Although the state of knowledge on this virus is still limited and constantly evolving, evidence of the effectiveness or the processes to be used to develop or organise speci c actions is already available. For example, regarding containment measures, a scoping review synthesising relevant knowledge published in 2018 highlights the importance of community involvement for their effectiveness [36]. A study on Ebola in 2014-2016 in the region similarly showed the need for community involvement in disease control interventions that take into account local dynamics [34].…”

Towards a better integration of social sciences in arbovirus research and decision-making: an experience from scientific collaboration between Cuban and Quebec institutions

“…It also contributes to decreasing the potential for biases and ensures the generation of robust evidence. Therefore, given the strength of the McGill University team on quantitative social epidemiologic methods, we shared a theoretical background (15) and some empirical results (12,16) throughout the activities. As methodological tools to mitigate such challenges, we proposed the use of quasi-experimental designs, propensity score techniques, and models accounting for measurement error in the analysis of health inequalities on arboviruses.…”

“…The activities initiated without any specific source of funding and, therefore, the members developed a work plan to be submitted for funding to different Canadian and Cuban agencies. Given the expertise of the collaborating institutions and previously identified knowledge gaps in our research and the literature on arboviral research (9,10,12–14), we selected three main work thematic areas: social determinants of health and equity, community-based interventions, and knowledge transfer. The objectives of the collaboration were (a) to provide scenarios to highlight the contributions of social sciences into research in global health, and (b) to promote the scientific exchange and knowledge dissemination between researchers from Quebec, Cuba, and the international academic community.…”

“…Although such integration requires cross-cultural and multidisciplinary approaches, very few scenarios highlight the contributions of the social sciences to reduce the research gaps (6,10). Likewise, the added value of integrating methods from the social sciences to improve decision-making on interventions for prevention and control of arboviruses is not always emphasized (6,10,12).…”

“…There is a growing consensus that methods in the social sciences can enhance global health research, including the understanding of processes influencing vector-borne diseases (2,4,6,7,11). Furthermore, integrating the social sciences into global health research results is useful when the research considers issues about equity, social justice, and community-based interventions (8,12). Although such integration requires cross-cultural and multidisciplinary approaches, very few scenarios highlight the contributions of the social sciences to reduce the research gaps (6,10).…”