Impact of visceral leishmaniasis control optimization: relationship between investment and effectiveness

• Grant number: 13/13347-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: November 01, 2013
• End date: October 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Epidemiology
• Principal Investigator: Eduardo Massad
• Grantee: Hélio Junji Shimozako
• Supervisor: Jianhong Wu
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: York University, Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 11/02633-5 - Optimization model for leishmaniasis control: epidemiological and economical analysis, BP.DR

Abstract

Visceral leishmaniasis is one of the world deadliest and neglected infectious diseases. Besides the publication of guidelines of visceral leishmaniasis control and the investments made in general surveillance activities, the sandy and the reservoir in urban areas are among the major challenges for the control activities. These challenges are due to (1) the necessity to better understand the vector behavior in urban environment; (2) the operational and logistic difficulties to carry out activities in sucient time to obtain good results; and (3) the high costs involved in these activities. In this project, our general objectives include how to plan the optimization of visceral leishmaniasis control, taking into account factors related to logistic of control activities as constraints. This research will not involve experiments and clinical study. Its primary focus is on the theoretical study based on mathematical analysis and computer simulations but it has potential applications in informing policy and evaluating different strategies. The preliminary results from original doctoral project showed that the visceral leishmaniasis control is epidemiologically feasible. However, we should evaluate the practical and economic viability. The results related to improvement of the model will be evaluated considering available information about the visceral leishmaniasis surveillance and control services in Brazil. As the expected is the obtaining of data provided from a deterministic model, we could proceed a comparative analysis between the model (and the factors or control strategies that it considered) and the current activities developed in Brazil. In addition, these results could indirectly indicate how much the public health services should economize with healing initiatives (due to incidence of human cases). In a general view, we expected that predominates the decision to invest on vector control and that the current control activities be reviewed, both in the ethical question and economic-benet relationship. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SHIMOZAKO, HELIO JUNJI; WU, JIANHONG; MASSAD, EDUARDO. The Preventive Control of Zoonotic Visceral Leishmaniasis: Efficacy and Economic Evaluation. COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN MEDICINE, 2017. (13/13347-9, 11/02633-5)

SHIMOZAKO, HELIO JUNJI; WU, JIANHONG; MASSAD, EDUARDO. The Preventive Control of Zoonotic Visceral Leishmaniasis: Efficacy and Economic Evaluation. COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN MEDICINE, v. 2017, p. 21-pg., 2017-01-01. (11/02633-5, 13/13347-9)