My research is focused on the characterization and control of re-emerging infectious diseases, mainly in Latin-America and Africa. My expertise includes:
- Cluster randomized controlled trials to evaluate novel dengue vector control tools and implementation strategies, and, on the identification of determinants of acceptance, use and uptake of dengue and visceral leishmaniasis control tools. I conducted field epidemiological studies within two ITM coordinated INCO-FP6 (European Union funding) projects in India, Nepal, Thailand and Venezuela.
- Epidemiological investigation on causes of acute undifferentiated fevers, with a focus on arboviroses transmitted by the Aedes mosquitoes, on identifying areas at high risk for arbovirus (dengue, zika, chikungunya, rift valley-fever) transmission and design of a pro-active control strategy based on this temporo-spatial heterogeneity of transmission, and on the evaluation of human mobility as a driver of arbovirus transmission. Studies located in Cuba and Democratic Republic of Congo
- Outbreak Research which ensues from my experience as an MD with Doctors without Borders in the beginning of my career and my focus on arboviruses at ITM. I was a scientific expert in the European Medical Corpse team to the Yellow Fever outbreak in Angola in 2016. Between 2017 and 2019, I have been working with ITM’s Outbreak Research Team to develop its research agenda and to guide the research activities on arbovirosis, cholera and malaria. In 2020 and 2021, focus included COVID-19 seroprevalence and collateral effects studies in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Research Assignments
1. Current
- Research on arbovirosis epidemiology and prevention:
o Rift Valley fever research: acute fever survey, human/animal survey in farms of endemic area, eastern Congo - in a network with Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya (CREID-ECA, NIH funding)
o Identification of dengue transmission hotspots and evaluation of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an implementation strategy targeting these transmission hotspots, research identified and initiated by the "DENTARGET" network in collaboration with researchers and control program managers from Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Cuba (Funding: development cooperation DGD-Cuba). Ongoing Research.
o Case-control study: The role of human mobility in relation to pressure-visited places in the spatio-temporal dimension of vectorial arbovirus transmission? (FWO Credit to Navigators, development cooperation DGD-Cuba). Ongoing Research
o Synergy project with the University of Antwerp on "Knowledge transfer of new techniques for defining factors influencing the development of dengue/Zika infections in Cuba" (funding: VLIR-UOS)-ongoing
°Implementation and evaluation of a multiplex real-time RT-PCR for integrated molecular pathogen testing of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Arboviruses (FA4-DRC) – ongoing
o Member of the "Aedes Invasive Moquitoes (AIM) COST ACTION", CA17108, on improved risk assessments for reliable targeting and planning of control actions in Europe (Funding: EU)
- Outbreak investigation:
o COVID 19: seroprevalence survey health workers and their families, DRCongo: PRESTACOV: SARS-CoV2 Sero-prevalence and sero-conversion study of health care workers and their households, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Funding: GIZ, ENABEL, FA4/CREDO)
o COVID-19: hotspot mapping, Cuba
o Measles: hotspot mapping, Kikwit, DRCongo
2. Completed research (dengue, leishmania, malaria)
- Epidemiological study: evaluation of the importance of dengue and chikungunya in patients with acute fever in Kinshasa, DRC (Funding: development cooperation DGD--DRC). - Entomological surveillance of Aedes vectors, Kinshasa, DRC (Funding: development cooperation DGD-DRC).
- Malaria study – evaluation of effect of vector control interventions Burundi – MSF project,
- CODAMSE: Collateral damage and consequences of covid-19 on other health problems (ITM funding)
- DYNACOV: Transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in a rural setting of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Departmental PPP funding, FA4-DRC)
- Pilot testing of an active sentinel surveillance dengue and acute fever eastern Nepal (Funding: development cooperation DGD-Nepal).
- Descriptive epidemiological and case-control study cholera outbreak Kinshasa- 2018 (Funding: EWI-Outbreak Research Team).
- Descriptive epidemiological study Chikungunya outbreak 2019 Kinshasa (Funding: EWI-ORT + development cooperation DGD-DRC)
- Evaluation of the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of curtains treated with long-lasting insecticide and indoor residual insecticide spraying compared to routine dengue control activities. Cluster randomized controlled trial was established in Guantanamo (curtains only) and a three-arm trial in Santiago, follow-up over a 2-year period (Funding: development cooperation DGD-Cuba).
- Evaluation of the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and sustainability of a participatory approach to 'environmental management' activities to prevent and control dengue. Quasi-experimental studies and a cluster randomized controlled trial were designed in different locations in Cuba and followed up over two to five years (Funding: development cooperation DGD-Cuba).
- Evaluation of the efficacy, distribution acceptance, long-term use and cost-effectiveness of curtains and water tank covers treated with a long-lasting insecticide for dengue control. Cluster randomized trials took place in Thailand and Venezuela (Funding: INCO-FP6 EU project).
- Evaluation of the effectiveness and acceptability of bed nets treated with long lasting insecticide to control Leishmania infection. The cluster randomized controlled trial took place in Nepalese and Indian districts endemic for leishmaniasis (Funding: INCO-FP6 EU project).
- Fieldwork within the study: Evaluation of chloroquine, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and amodiaquine for the treatment of uncomplicated P Falciparum malaria in Chad (MSF project).