Intense and Mild First Epidemic Wave of Coronavirus Disease, The Gambia.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is evolving differently in Africa than in other regions. Africa has lower SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates and milder clinical manifestations. Detailed SARS-CoV-2 epidemiologic data are needed in Africa. We used publicly available data to calculate SARS-CoV-2 infections per 1,000 persons in The Gambia. We evaluated transmission rates among 1,366 employees of the Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia (MRCG), where systematic surveillance of symptomatic cases and contact tracing were implemented. By September 30, 2020, The Gambia had identified 3,579 SARS-CoV-2 cases, including 115 deaths; 67% of cases were identified in August. Among infections, MRCG staff accounted for 191 cases; all were asymptomatic or mild. The cumulative incidence rate among nonclinical MRCG staff was 124 infections/1,000 persons, which is >80-fold higher than estimates of diagnosed cases among the population. Systematic surveillance and seroepidemiologic surveys are needed to clarify the extent of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Africa

HEALTH AND SOCIETAL IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THE GAMBIA VS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: THE ROLE OF POVERTY AND INEQUALITY

This study is conducted to understand the health and societal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Gambia vs Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA): The role of poverty and inequality. It is divided into two phases where the first phase will focus more on providing a detailed overview of the main features of the COVID-19 pandemic in The Gambia in comparison with other SSA countries looking at the contributions of the aforementioned factors in shaping the direct and indirect impact of the pandemic on health and the society as a whole and focuses on whether the impact of the COVD-19 was made worse by economic and societal inequality and in its turn worsened economy inequality. To advance into the study, the second phase however involves reviewing major contributions on the macroeconomic and health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with special reference to Sub- Saharan Africa and The Gambia. This phase, however, focuses on the macroeconomic- epidemiological models for the impact of COVID-19 in developing countries including SSA

Effects of ivermectin mass drug administration for malaria vector control on ectoparasites and soil-transmitted helminths: a cluster randomized trial

Objectives: Ivermectin, used to control several neglected tropical diseases, may also reduce malaria transmission. Mass drug administration (MDA) for malaria control therefore might have off-target impacts on neglected tropical diseases. Methods: In The Gambia, nested in a trial of ivermectin MDA, cross-sectional surveys measuring ectoparasites and soil-transmitted helminths in children aged 3 to 14 years took place in June and November 2019 and in November 2021. Results: After MDA, scabies prevalence was 41.2% (237/576) in the control and 38.2% (182/476) in the intervention arm (odds ratio [OR] 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0 67-1.2), P-value = 0.471) but by 2021, had rebounded to 38.8% (180/464) in the control and 53.2% (245/458) in the intervention arm. After MDA, prevalence of Strongyloides stercoralis was 16.8% (87/518) in the control and 9.1% (40/440) in the intervention arm (OR 0.4 (95% CI 0.16-0.94), P-value = 0.039). In 2021, it was 9.2% (38/413) in the control and 11.3% (45/399) in the intervention arm (OR 1.31 (95% CI 0.74-2.28), P-value = 0.35). Conclusion: Scabies prevalence was similar between the two study arms. S. stercoralis prevalence was reduced. However, this effect did not last long: the prevalence 2 years after MDA was similar between study arms