Abstract
BackgroundThe Zika virus outbreak has triggered a set of local and global actions for a rapid, effective, and timely public health response. A World Health Organization (WHO) initiative, supported by the Department of Chronic Condition Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Infections (DCCI) of the Health Surveillance Secretariat (SVS), Brazil Ministry of Health (MoH) and other public health funders, resulted in the start of the “Study on the persistence of Zika virus in body fluids of patients with ZIKV infection in Brazil – ZIKABRA study”. The ZIKABRA study was designed to increase understanding of how long ZIKV persists in bodily fluids and informing best measures to prevent its transmission. Data collection began in July 2017 and the last follow up visit occurred in 06/26/2020.MethodsA framework for the ZIKABRA Cooperation initiative is provided through a description and analysis of the mechanisms, strategies and the ethos that have guided the models of international governance and technical cooperation in health for scientific exchange in the context of a public health emergency. Among the methodological strategies, we included a review of the legal documents that supported the ZIKABRA Cooperation; weekly documents produced in the meetings and working sessions; technical reports; memorandum of understanding and the research protocol.ConclusionWe highlight the importance of working in cooperation between different institutional actors to achieve more significant results than that obtained by each group working in isolation. In addition, we point out the advantages of training activities, ongoing supervision, the construction of local installed research capacity, training academic and non-academic human resources, improvement of laboratory equipment, knowledge transfer and the availability of the ZIKABRA study protocol for development of similar studies, favoring the collective construction of knowledge to provide public health emergency responses. Strategy harmonization; human resources and health services; timing and recruiting particularities and processing institutional clearance in the different sites can be mentioned as challenges in this type of initiative.
Highlights
The Zika virus outbreak has triggered a set of local and global actions for a rapid, effective, and timely public health response
The World Health Organization (WHO) has set out a strategic response plan, the Strategic Response Framework (SRF) [5], aiming to foster early responses to the Zika virus (ZIKV) emergency, including implementation of clinical research studies, the design of study protocols for diagnosis, the development of studies with qualitative methodologies, the formulation of strategies to reduce the risks of exposure to the Aedes mosquito, the development of safe and effective therapies and vaccines and the identification of funding sources to support this extensive research and development agenda
This paper provides a framework for the ZIKABRA initiative through a description and analysis of the mechanisms, strategies and the ethos that have guided the models of international cooperation and scientific exchange between Brazil and international organizations in the context of a public health emergency
Summary
The Zika virus outbreak has triggered a set of local and global actions for a rapid, effective, and timely public health response. A World Health Organization (WHO) initiative, supported by the Department of Chronic Condition Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Infections (DCCI) of the Health Surveillance Secretariat (SVS), Brazil Ministry of Health (MoH) and other public health funders, resulted in the start of the “Study on the persistence of Zika virus in body fluids of patients with ZIKV infection in Brazil – ZIKABRA study”. Considering the extent of the infection in Brazil and its complications, urgent and coordinated public health strategies were developed in the areas of surveillance, by adopting vector control measures and strong risk communication strategies, in addition to research and development actions in the clinical, laboratory and social areas, summarized in the Brazilian Plan for Fighting Aedes aegypti and microcephaly [4].
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