Economic evaluation of one health strategies for the control of foodborne parasitic disease

A PhD scholarship is available to research the economic viability of one health protocols mitigating the transmission of foodborne parasitic disease.

Food borne parasitic diseases such as T. solium are of significant concern given their ‘dual burden’ on humans and animals; infected people suffer significant health problems, whilst the productivity and value of their animals is reduced. To effectively control transmission of T. solium, the World Health Organization (WHO) promotes a One Health strategy which acknowledges the linkages between human, animal and environmental health and therefore requires a multidisciplinary approach. Intervention strategies have been trialled with some success however robust evidence is lacking to demonstrate that they are cost-effective, locally acceptable, sustainable and scalable.

The successful applicant will work within an existing project funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research investigating and developing intervention strategies to mitigate the transmission of Taenia solium in northern Lao PDR. The PhD would be centred around evaluating the burden of disease of T. solium cysticercosis as part of the ‘animal health loss envelope’ for pig systems in Laos and also the non-monetary influences on small holder farmers.