Capturing the true burden of Shigella and ETEC: The way forward

The mortality and morbidity burden estimation of diarrheal diseases (DD), and Shigella and Enterotoxigenic E. Coli (ETEC) varies among different studies and by the models used for producing these estimates. Understanding the real burden of these important pathogens will guide public health and policy makers to prioritize resources for accelerating interventions against these enteric infections. In addition, long term effects, in the form of growth faltering, cognitive impairment and decreased school performance are important aspects of burden that has not been well captured. Efforts to incorporate these effects and refine their estimation, in the form of Disability Adjusted Life years (DALYs) are very important to inform the burden of diarrheal diseases and Shigella and ETEC specifically. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington conducted a workshop at the VASE 2018 meeting to discuss IHME Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) modelling methods for diarrheal diseases, with a focus on ETEC and Shigella estimates in relation to other pathogens, including limitations, areas of improvements, and IHME plans for future GBD iterations.