Vaccine equity and trachoma resurgence

Project summary

Trachoma, a highly contagious disease of the eye caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. This neglected tropical disease (NTD) is endemic in many of the most deprived areas of the world, with an estimated 136 million people being at risk of trachoma blindness, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Trachoma elimination programmes currently rely on the WHO-recommended SAFE strategy: Surgery; Antibiotic treatment through mass drug administration; Facial cleanliness; and Environmental improvement, particularly improving access to water and sanitation. While these programmes have helped reduce the global burden of trachoma substantially, the disease remains a public health concern in 44 countries, including 26 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, the long-term success of these programmes is threatened by disease resurgence, which can happen once antibiotic treatment campaigns are stopped. Therefore, additional interventions that support the long-term elimination of trachoma are needed.

The development of an effective vaccine could support the sustainable control of trachoma. While there are currently no approved vaccines against trachoma, recent trials suggest that one may be available in the near future. The development of such a trachoma vaccine will contribute to disease prevention and elimination, yet it will also raise considerations around vaccine equity. As seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, deciding how to allocate limited numbers of vaccine doses among different groups is a key policy issue.

In this project, you will investigate how different modes of allocation of a potential trachoma vaccine are likely to influence disease control, resurgence and associated health impacts. You will work with existing mathematical models of trachoma transmission across countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and combine these with other data sources to evaluate how vaccination of different sociodemographic groups is likely to impact the dynamics of infection.

During this project, you will learn more about trachoma, vaccine equity and infectious disease modelling, including programming in R and/or Python. There are also likely to be opportunities to be involved in modelling and data analyses related to other diseases through this research group’s involvement in the NTD Modelling Consortium and JUNIPER. 

Timescale

Up to 12 weeks.

Day-to-day supervision

Professor Deidre Hollingsworth

Suitability

The project would suit a student with a background in quantitative studies (eg. physics, mathematics, computing or related disciplines) and interested in modelling of infectious diseases.