Submission ID 118478
| Issue/Objective | Schistosomiasis is a major neglected tropical disease primarily present in low-income regions of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and interlinked with a variety of socio-ecological disparities. Vulnerable populations affected include school-aged children and women residing in rural communities. Efforts in controlling the disease are slowly being supported through technological advancements and innovation. However, there remains a lack of focus on developing and implementing existing and emerging diagnostic innovations for schistosomiasis, specifically through a socio-ecological lens. Thus, the objective of this analytical review sought to identify two prominent diagnostic innovations, the Kato-Katz (KK) Method and the SchistoScope using a socio-ecological framework to reveal key themes within the literature. |
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| Methodology/Approach | A comprehensive literature search was completed through the collection of published and grey literature. Keywords and search terminology included "schistosomiasis", "diagnostics", "sub-Saharan Africa" and "technology". The article dates were limited to 2000-2024 and no specific control and diagnostic terms were used. Key inclusion criteria consisted of English articles, and research set in SSA. A specific exclusion criteria was not deemed relevant for this review. |
| Results | The findings identified were prominent socio-ecological factors associated with the development and implementation of the KK method and SchistoScope for schistosomiasis diagnosis in SSA. Key themes included misinformation among community health workers, poor transferability and diffusion of technology across diverse communities, socio-cultural dynamics impacting the acceptance of technology, lack of multi-sectoral actors and community partnerships for uptake of diagnostic tools, inconsistent schistosomiasis control policies across governments and local authorities. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Significant global health implications are perpetuating rates of schistosomiasis and the efforts in accurately diagnosing the disease. Climate change continues to increase trends of globalization, urbanization, and migration, further impeding schistosomiasis control measures. The effects of climate change also continue to contribute to the ever-changing parasitic life cycle of schistosomiasis, making it difficult for accurate, high-specificity and sensitivity diagnostic innovations to be utilized. Such multi-faceted complications must be considered in future parasitic control and surveillance programs in SSA. Integration of community-based programs for schistosomiasis control should consider strengthening measures that identify ongoing trends of globalization, urbanization, and migration patterns through the entirety of its development and implementation process. |
| Presenters and affiliations | Sydney Raduy McMaster University, Faculty of Health Science, Mary Heersink School of Global Health and Social Medicine Sydney Raduy McMaster University, Faculty of Health Science, Mary Heersink School of Global Health and Social Medicine Dr. Thavy Long McGill University, Institute of Parasitology |
