Costs and Outcomes of Integrated Human African Trypanosomiasis Surveillance System Using Rapid Diagnostic Tests, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Overview

Journal Emerg Infect Dis

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2021 Jul 21

PMID 34287133

Citations 5

Authors

Rian Snijders

Alain Fukinsia

Yves Claeys

Epco Hasker

Alain Mpanya

Erick Miaka

Filip Meheus

Marleen Boelaert

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We integrated sleeping sickness case detection into the primary healthcare system in 2 health districts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We replaced a less field-friendly serologic test with a rapid diagnostic test, which was followed up by human African trypanosomiasis microscopic testing, and used a mixed costing methodology to estimate costs from a healthcare provider perspective. We screened a total of 18,225 persons and identified 27 new cases. Average financial cost (i.e., actual expenditures) was US $6.70/person screened and $4,464/case diagnosed and treated. Average economic cost (i.e., value of resources foregone that could have been used for other purposes) was $9.40/person screened and $6,138/case diagnosed and treated. Our study shows that integrating sleeping sickness surveillance into the primary healthcare system is feasible and highlights challenges in completing the diagnostic referral process and developing a context-adapted diagnostic algorithm for the large-scale implementation of this strategy in a sustainable and low-cost manner.

Citing Articles

Health economic evaluation of strategies to eliminate gambiense human African trypanosomiasis in the Mandoul disease focus of Chad.

Antillon M, Huang C, Sutherland S, Crump R, Bessell P, Shaw A PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2023; 17(7):e0011396.

PMID: 37498938 PMC: 10409297. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011396.

A modelling assessment of short- and medium-term risks of programme interruptions for gambiense human African trypanosomiasis in the DRC.

Huang C, Crump R, Crowley E, Hope A, Bessell P, Shampa C PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2023; 17(4):e0011299.

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Performance of clinical signs and symptoms, rapid and reference laboratory diagnostic tests for diagnosis of human African trypanosomiasis by passive screening in Guinea: a prospective diagnostic accuracy study.

Camara O, Camara M, Falzon L, Ilboudo H, Kabore J, Compaore C Infect Dis Poverty. 2023; 12(1):22.

PMID: 36941656 PMC: 10026442. DOI: 10.1186/s40249-023-01076-1.

Cost-effectiveness of sleeping sickness elimination campaigns in five settings of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Antillon M, Huang C, Crump R, Brown P, Snijders R, Mwamba Miaka E Nat Commun. 2022; 13(1):1051.

PMID: 35217656 PMC: 8881616. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28598-w.

Update of transmission modelling and projections of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis in the Mandoul focus, Chad.

Rock K, Huang C, Crump R, Bessell P, Brown P, Tirados I Infect Dis Poverty. 2022; 11(1):11.

PMID: 35074016 PMC: 8785021. DOI: 10.1186/s40249-022-00934-8.

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