Should we be treating animal schistosomiasis in Africa? The need for a One Health economic evaluation of schistosomiasis control in people and their livestock

Gower, C M; Vince, L; Webster, J P

Abstract

A One Health economic perspective allows informed decisions to be made regarding control priorities and/or implementation strategies for infectious diseases. Schistosomiasis is a major and highly resilient disease of both humans and livestock. The zoonotic component of transmission in sub-Saharan Africa appears to be more significant than previously assumed, and may thereby affect the recently revised WHO vision to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health problem by 2025. Moreover, animal schistosomiasis is likely to be a significant cost to affected communities due to its direct and indirect impact on livelihoods. We argue here for a comprehensive evaluation of the economic burden of livestock and zoonotic schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa in order to determine if extending treatment to include animal hosts in a One Health approach is economically, as well as epidemiologically, desirable.

Citation

Gower, C. M., Vince, L., & Webster, J. P. (2017). Should we be treating animal schistosomiasis in Africa? The need for a One Health economic evaluation of schistosomiasis control in people and their livestock. Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 111(6), 244-247

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 1, 2017
• Publication Date: Oct 16, 2017
• Deposit Date: Dec 23, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 23, 2017
• Journal: Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• Print ISSN: 0035-9203
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 111
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 244-247
• Public URL: https://rvc-repository.worktribe.com/output/1390301
• Publisher URL: http://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/trx047