Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33166354›Full record

ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2020

Estimating the basic reproduction number for the 2015 bubonic plague outbreak in Nyimba district of Eastern Zambia.

Joseph Sichone, Martin C Simuunza, Bernard M Hang'ombe, Mervis Kikonko

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Joseph SichoneDepartment of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.ORCID 0000-0002-4437-0148
Martin C SimuunzaDepartment of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
Bernard M Hang'ombeAfrica Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases of Humans and Animals, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
Mervis KikonkoDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, School of Natural Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia · ZMUniversity of Zambia · ZM

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPlague is a re-emerging flea-borne infectious disease of global importance and in recent years, Zambia has periodically experienced increased incidence of outbreaks of this disease. However, there are currently no studies in the country that provide a quantitative assessment of the ability of the disease to spread during these outbreaks. This limits our understanding of the epidemiology of the disease especially for planning and implementing quantifiable and cost-effective control measures. To fill this gap, the basic reproduction number, R0, for bubonic plague was estimated in this study, using data from the 2015 Nyimba district outbreak, in the Eastern province of Zambia. R0 is the average number of secondary infections arising from a single infectious individual during their infectious period in an entirely susceptible population. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL

findingsSecondary epidemic data for the most recent 2015 Nyimba district bubonic plague outbreak in Zambia was analyzed. R0 was estimated as a function of the average epidemic doubling time based on the initial exponential growth rate of the outbreak and the average infectious period for bubonic plague. R0 was estimated to range between 1.5599 [95% CI: 1.382-1.7378] and 1.9332 [95% CI: 1.6366-2.2297], with average of 1.7465 [95% CI: 1.5093-1.9838]. Further, an SIR deterministic mathematical model was derived for this infection and this estimated R0 to be between 1.4 to 1.5, which was within the range estimated above. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This estimated R0 for bubonic plague is an indication that each bubonic plague case can typically give rise to almost two new cases during these outbreaks. This R0 estimate can now be used to quantitatively analyze and plan measurable interventions against future plague outbreaks in Zambia.

Indexed as

AdolescentAnimalsBasic Reproduction NumberChildChild, PreschoolData Interpretation, StatisticalEpidemicsFemaleHumansInsect VectorsMaleModels, TheoreticalPlagueSiphonapteraYersinia pestisZambia

Identifiers

PMID33166354
PMCPMC7652268
OpenAlexW3102318638

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.