USAID PREDICT PROJECT

Surveillance for emerging zoonotic disease threats and behavioral risk characterization in high-risk communities in Bangladesh.

The primary goal of USAID PREDICT-2 is to strengthen global capacity for the detection and discovery of viruses with pandemic potential, specifically those that can move between animals and people (zoonotic viruses). In addition, PREDICT-2 aims to improve the characterization of associated biological, behavioral, and ecological risks to better understand which geographic locations, epidemiological zones, animal-animal and/or animal-human interfaces and environmental factors are most associated with the evolution spillover, amplification, and spread of zoonotic viruses with pandemic potential. Critical elements of this work and USAID’s mission, include: building local capacity; evidence-based decision making and translating research into practice by leveraging science to inform the development of behavioral risk mitigation interventions that can move health, save lines and reduce costs associated with mortality and morbidity. The topics and locations for behavioral risk investigation are mentioned below:

Objectives:

• To detect and characterize new and known viruses of epidemic and pandemic potential in human and animals at high-risk communities

• To identify biological, behavioral, and ecological factors influencing the risk of viral spillover, amplification, and spread

• To determine potential targets for intervention based on high-risk human behaviors and practices that amplify disease transmission in hotspots for viral evolution, spillover, amplification, and spread.

Along with our specific goals, further objectives include, gaining knowledge about interactions with animals, animal health and animal perceptions and knowledge, determining if any sanitation or hygiene factors play a role in zoonotic disease spillover and understanding the potential of human mobility and movement to contribute to disease spread.

Methods:

PREDICT-2 is geographically focused on ‘hot spots’ (areas where a confluence of risk factors may contribute to disease emergence) and on high-risk sites within these hot spots. As a part of the larger PREDICT project, surveillance of animal (macaque, bat, rodents) and high-risk human populations is ongoing. Behavioral risk surveillance is conducted through Community based Behavioral survey and Hospital based Syndromic Surveillance. PREDICT study sites: Dhaka, Madaripur, Faridpur and Dinajpur are prioritized by identifying areas considered high-risk for contact with multiple taxonomic groups known to be associated with zoonotic viral diversity and with ecological and epidemiological conditions associated with disease emergence.