Tropical Data: Approach and Methodology as Applied to Trachoma Prevalence Surveys
Emma M Harding-Esch1, Clara R Burgert-Brucker2, Cristina Jimenez3
1Clinical Research Department, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Ophthalmic Epidemiology
|December 12, 2023
Summary
Tropical Data supports global trachoma elimination efforts by standardizing population-based prevalence surveys. Their methods ensure data quality, guiding interventions and verifying elimination targets.
Area of Science:
- Public health
- Epidemiology
- Global health
Background:
- Trachoma elimination requires accurate population-based prevalence surveys.
- Standardized methodologies are crucial for reliable decision-making on interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the methodologies employed by Tropical Data for conducting trachoma prevalence surveys.
- To highlight Tropical Data's support for health ministries in achieving global trachoma elimination targets.
Main Methods:
- Tropical Data provides comprehensive support for survey planning, design, training, data collection, and analysis.
- Methods are standardized according to World Health Organization recommendations but adapted to local contexts.
- Key principles include health ministry ownership, collaboration, and rigorous quality assurance.
Main Results:
- Between 2016 and 2023, 3373 surveys were supported across 50 countries.
- Over 10.8 million people were examined for trachoma during this period.
- The standardized approach facilitated informed decisions on intervention allocation and elimination status.
Conclusions:
- The health ministry-led, standardized survey approach effectively guides trachoma elimination strategies.
- Flexibility and adaptation of methodologies foster innovation and support global disease control efforts.
- This evidence-based approach helps stakeholders identify where interventions are needed and when elimination is achieved.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Statistical Methods for Analyzing Epidemiological Data
Epidemiological data primarily involves information on specific populations' occurrence, distribution, and determinants of health and diseases. This data is crucial for understanding disease patterns and impacts, aiding public health decision-making and disease prevention strategies. The analysis of epidemiological data employs various statistical methods to interpret health-related data effectively. Here are some commonly used methods:
01:26Principles of Disease Surveillance
Disease surveillance is the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice. This process integrates data dissemination to entities responsible for preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. Surveillance systems provide crucial information for action, helping public health authorities make informed decisions to manage and prevent outbreaks, ensure public safety, optimize...
01:28Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
01:22American Trypanosomiasis
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
01:18Trichomoniasis
Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellated protozoan parasite and the causative agent of trichomoniasis, one of the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted infections in the United States. This extracellular parasite primarily colonizes the lower genitourinary tract in women—particularly the vagina—and in men, the urethra and prostate. Its structural and functional adaptations enable its survival, motility, and pathogenicity within the host environment.Structural Features and Host EntryT.