COUNTDOWN Launch Meeting 2015

1. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS TO HELP ENSURE SOUND
POLICIES AND INVESTMENT
Paul Garner
On behalf of the Cochrane infectious Diseases Group Editors
And the Effective Health Care Research Programme Consortium

2. Competing interests
Funded by the UK Aid Programme to
increase the number of decisions based
on reliable evidence in health for the
poor in developing countries

3. Thanks to everyone that
helps, including
17 editors
Staff in LSTM
700 authors in 55 countries
Consortium partners
UK Aid

4. 1993

5. 500 authors
17 editors
12 staff
112 Systematic reviews

6. Systematic reviews of effects
• objectives
• methods (how trials are identified)
• apply inclusion criteria to trials
• extract predetermined outcomes
• contact authors for more data

7. Title Type
Bur Treatment of Buruli ulcer Intervention review ongoing
fil DEC salt for filariasis Intervention review published
fil Albendazole for filariasis Intervention review Needs update
HAT
Chemotherapy for second-stage Human African
trypanosomiasis Intervention review published
HAT Community engagement in HAT Scoping review PHD/Staff
intestin
al
Deworming drugs for soil-transmitted intestinal
worms in children: effects on nutritional
indicators, haemoglobin and school performance Intervention review Being updated
NTD Wolbachia (scoping and Intervention) Intervention review open
Schisto Drugs for treating Schistosoma mansoni infection Intervention review published
Schisto Drugs for treating urinary schistosomiasis Intervention review published
Schisto
Circulating antigen tests and urine reagent strips
for diagnosis of active schistosomiasis in endemic
areas Diagnostic review in press
Schisto
Prophylactic drug interventions for
Schistosomiasis japonicum Intervention review ongoing
Schisto
Therapeutic drug interventions for
Schistosomiasis japonicum Intervention review ongoing
systems Mass Drug Administration User views ongoing
systems
Strategies for integrating PHC at the point of care
in LMIC Intervention review open
excluded: leishmania, headlice, dengue, neurocystercosis

8. Water and sanitation
• Water quality (in progress)
• Fecal disposal (in progress)
• Wash (in progress)

9. 5 Cochrane authors:
“it is probably misleading to justify
contemporary deworming programmes based
on evidence…”

10. Trial from 1999

11. Another one! completed 2004
Unpublished in 2013
Devta in Hindi
=“divine being”

12. Miguel and Kramer (Kenya) 2004
trial used by Nobel Prize winners

13. “major, moderate and minor errors”
On re-analysis
• No between school effects
• No evidence of an effect on nutrition
• effect on school attendance preserved