Project Title: Population-base age-stratified seroepidemiological investigation for sars-covid-2 infection in Zanzibar
Project Description: The detection and spread of an emerging respiratory pathogen are accompanied by uncertainty over the key epidemiological and serologic characteristics of the novel pathogen and particularly its transmissibility and its virulence. This is the case for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which its initial surveillance has focused primarily on patients with symptoms of severe disease, and, as such, the full spectrum of the disease, including the extent and proportion of mild or asymptomatic infections that do not... The detection and spread of an emerging respiratory pathogen are accompanied by uncertainty over the key epidemiological and serologic characteristics of the novel pathogen and particularly its transmissibility and its virulence. This is the case for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which its initial surveillance has focused primarily on patients with symptoms of severe disease, and, as such, the full spectrum of the disease, including the extent and proportion of mild or asymptomatic infections that do not require medical attention are not clear. Estimates of the case fatality ratio and other epidemiological parameters, will likely be lower than current estimates once the full spectrum of disease is able to be included in the denominator. In addition, the role of presymptomatic, asymptomatic or subclinical infections in human-to-human transmission of SARS- CoV-2 virus is not well understood, however, there is growing evidence on transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 suggesting the possibility of asymptomatic spread from person to person. Due to the novelty of SARS-CoV-2, its seroprevalence in Tanzania, including in Zanzibar, has not been established at any point during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the proposed surveillance assessment will be conducted to explore antibody seropositivity among the Zanzibar population in order to estimate the extent of infection with SARS-COV-2 in the general population in Zanzibar and to identify potential risk factors for prior infection among sub-populations. The surveillance will further validate the performance of two antigen and antibody rapid tests intended to aid SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and Real time PCR based reagents intended for surveillance of SARSCoV-2 known strain/variants. Also, in the course of the pandemic, localities around the world, including Zanzibar, have introduced a range of public and social health measures (PHSMs) to reduce the risk of infection and prevent COVI D-19 related morbidity and mortality. The implementation of PHSMs has been voluntary, albeit with limited enforcement by the local government in Zanzibar. Information describing the community knowledge, attitude, perceptions, fears and any COVID-19 related concerns also remain limited in Zanzibar. Since Zanzibar is a major tourism hub in Tanzania, it is profoundly important to estimate SARS-CoV-2 prevalence as part of COVID-19 surveillance efforts. Additionally, validation of cheap, point of care, easy to use surveillance diagnostic tools is critical in course of pandemic to aid proper diagnosis and estimation of disease prevalence. As COVID-19 vaccines becomes available, it is also important to understand community, perceptions and knowledge of COVI D-19 vaccines and other PHSMs as part of efforts to develop effective messages and strategies to strengthen public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and PHSMs in Zanzibar.
Principal Investigator : Honorati Masanja
Department Name :
Time frame: (2021-12-07) - (2021-12-31)
World Health Organization (WHO) (Normal)
External Collaborating Partners
None added yet.