01997nas a2200229   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653001300054653003100067653003100098100001400129700001500143700001700158700001300175700001500188245015200203856007100355300000800426490000800434520131100442022001401753       2023                            d  c10/202310aHookworm10aSoil-transmitted helminths10aspatial transmission model1 aCollyer B1 aTruscott J1 aMwandawiro C1 aNjenga S1 aAnderson R00aHow important is the spatial movement of people in attempts to eliminate the transmission of human helminth infections by mass drug administration?  uhttps://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10.1098/rstb.2022.0273  a1-90 v3783 a<p>Human mobility contributes to the spatial dynamics of many infectious diseases, and understanding these dynamics helps us to determine the most effective ways to intervene and plan surveillance. In this paper, we describe a novel transmission model for the spatial dynamics of hookworm, a parasitic worm which is a common infection across sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and the Pacific islands. We fit our model, with and without mobility, to data obtained from a sub-county in Kenya, and validate the model's predictions against the decline in prevalence observed over the course of a clustered randomized control trial evaluating methods of administering mass chemotherapy. We find that our model which incorporates human mobility is able to reproduce the observed patterns in decline of prevalence during the TUMIKIA trial, and additionally, that the widespread bounce-back of infection may be possible over many years, depending on the rates of people movement between villages. The results have important implications for the design of mass chemotherapy programmes for the elimination of human helminth transmission.</p>

<p>This article is part of the theme issue 'Challenges and opportunities in the fight against neglected tropical diseases: a decade from the London Declaration on NTDs'.</p>
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