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Table 1 Similarities and differences between COVID-19 and four selected zoonotic neglected tropical diseases

From: Strategies supporting the prevention and control of neglected tropical diseases during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

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

  1. COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019, SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2