General aspects | COVID-19 | Schistosomiasis | Cystic echinococcosis | Leishmaniasis | Human African trypanosomiasis |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aetiological agent | SARS-CoV-2 | Schistosoma spp. | Echinococcus spp. | Leishmania spp. | Trypanosoma spp. |
Transmission route | • Animal-to-human • Human-to-human | • Human-to-snail-to-human (might involve another host, e.g. water buffalo) | • Dog-to-sheep-to-dog (humans as accidental or aberrant intermediate hosts) • Different animals act as either definitive or intermediate host | • Human-to-insect vector-to-human, other mammals (e.g. dogs) can act as host | • Human-to-insect vector-to-human, occasionally another mammal (e.g. wild ungulates) acts as reservoirs |
Prevention | • Avoid close contact/close confinement with sylvatic animal reservoir • Social distancing • Hand hygiene • Avoid crowded places • Environmental disinfection • Face masks • Personal protective equipment for health care personnel | • Avoid contact with fresh- water that may be infested with schistosome parasites | • Avoid contact with faecal matter of wild animals and dogs • Hand hygiene after handling dogs | • Use of insect repellent, insecticides and bed nets | • Minimize contact with vector (i.e. tsetse flies) |
Main control strategies | • Physical distancing (individual/school/workplace closures/border closures) • Case isolation • Contact tracing • Overall epidemic alert and response measures including risk communication | • Health education • Mass drug administration • Snail control strategies • Improved sanitation | • Health education • Limit the interactions between dogs and rodent populations • Prevent dogs from feeding on the carcasses of infected sheep • Control stray dog populations | • Early diagnosis and treatment, especially more efficacious drugs • Vector control • Control stray dog populations • Environmental management | • Active and passive case detection and treatment of confirmed cases • Vector control strategies • Management of the animal reservoir • Environmental management |
Challenges | • Vaccine and drugs development • Improvement in animal health surveillance and further wildlife studies to increase knowledge on animal reservoir | • Vaccines • Improvement in animal health surveillance focused on cattle • Snail control | • Vaccine and new diagnostic methods • New drugs • Improved collaboration with animal health sector to improve surveillance (e.g. slaughter houses) | • Vaccine • New drugs • Improved reservoir and vector control methods • Improved control of stray dog populations where visceral leishmaniasis is most prevalent | • Timely diagnosis to avoid high out-of-pocket health expenditures • Vaccine • Development of new control methods • Surveillance strategies |