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Coronaviruses roadmap:
Control Strategies

Roadmap for the development of disease control strategies for coronaviruses

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Biosecurity

Biosecurity

Research Question

  • Acceptable and effective biosecurity protocols adapted to a range of specific contexts
  • Consideration needs to be given that biosecurity is for agricultural to wildlife AND vice-versa as a two-way route and the management approaches could differ widely

Research Gaps and Challenges

  • In South East Asia, farming practices are integrated and limiting for bio-security. Economic costs also factors in this region and it’s challenging convince farmers to utilise biosecurity measures due to costs. Integrated (mixed animal) farming systems support inter-species mingling and potential disease spread between species
  • Cost of implementation, and willingness/ability to invest in the sector generally if there is no quantifiable benefit or empirical evidence of its efficacy
  • Applicability of biosecurity in certain field settings where resources may be limited
  • Evaluation of biosecurity measures (e.g., efficacy and benefits) in different contexts. Disinfectants are often not suitable for all pathogens, and there may also be off-target consequences of misuse e.g. increases resistance and/or driving mutations. We have a poor understanding of the host-animal-environment interface where transmission occurs
  • Daily engagement in biosecurity from workers/animal owners
  • Consideration to the long-term unknown consequences to the environment

Solution Routes

  • Conducting cost-benefits of accessible biosecurity measures to identify areas where most impact could be achieved economically. Empirically demonstrating the benefits of biosecurity across different scenarios
  • Adapting biosecurity measures to local settings, especially in low- and middle-income regions where resources are constrained.
  • Social science approaches (e.g. focus groups with end-users) to co-design solutions to increase acceptability.

Dependencies

  • Need to better understand interactions where transmission may occur between wildlife and domestic animals for example, so that sufficient biosecurity measures can be identified (e.g. physical barriers).
  • Identifying and quantifying the value/benefit of biosecurity measures especially where measures do not yield cost-savings.  This needs to be communicated to end-users, policy decision-makers and other external stakeholders to allow for evidence-based decision-making.
  • Defining biosecurity and creating a narrative of context – biosecurity currently doesn’t mean anything to some sectors.
  • Understanding the risks of using biosecurity tools – this requires study of the measures themselves.

State Of the Art

  • Some countries link disease compensation to participation in surveillance systems and adoption of biosecurity standards