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Biosurveillance in Central Asia: Successes and Challenges of Tick-Borne Disease Research in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

  • John Hay
  • , Kenneth B. Yeh
  • , Debanjana Dasgupta
  • , Zhanna Shapieva
  • , Gulnara Omasheva
  • , Pavel Deryabin
  • , Talgat Nurmakhanov
  • , Timur Ayazbayev
  • , Alexei Andryushchenko
  • , Asankadyr Zhunushov
  • , Roger Hewson
  • , Christina M. Farris
  • , Allen L. Richards
  • MRIGlobal
  • Scientific Practical Center for Sanitary Epidemiological Expertise and Monitoring
  • National Scientific Center Especially Dangerous Infections after Masgut Aikimbayev
  • Uralsk Anti-Plague Station
  • Biotechnology Institute
  • UK Health Security Agency
  • Naval Medical Research Center

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

Central Asia is a vast geographic region that includes five former Soviet Union republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The region has a unique infectious disease burden, and a history that includes Silk Road trade routes and networks that were part of the anti-plague and biowarfare programs in the former Soviet Union. Post-Soviet Union biosurveillance research in this unique area of the world has met with several challenges, including lack of funding and resources to independently conduct hypothesis driven, peer-review quality research. Strides have been made, however, to increase scientific engagement and capability. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are examples of countries where biosurveillance research has been successfully conducted, particularly with respect to especially dangerous pathogens. In this review, we describe in detail the successes, challenges, and opportunities of conducting biosurveillance in Central Asia as exemplified by our recent research activities on ticks and tick-borne diseases in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Original languageEnglish
Article number4
JournalFrontiers in Public Health
Volume4
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2016

Keywords

  • Coxiella
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Rickettsia
  • TBE virus
  • biosurveillance
  • tick-borne diseases

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