Community-Led Data Collection: Enhancing Local-Level Scabies Surveillance in Remote Aboriginal Communities in Australia

Abstract

Novel approaches to geohealth data analysis offer major benefits to neglected tropical disease control by identifying how social, economic and environmental elements of place interact to influence disease outcomes. However, a lack of timely and accurate geohealth data poses substantial risks to the accuracy of risk identification and challenges to the development of suitably targeted disease control programs. Scabies is one of many skin-related NTDs that is nominated as a priority for global disease control by the World Health Organization, but for which there remains a lack of baseline geospatial data on disease distribution. In this opinion paper, we consider lessons on impediments to geohealth data availability for other skin-related NTDs before outlining challenges specific to the collection of scabies-related geohealth data. We illustrate the importance of a community-centred approach in this context using a recent initiative to develop a community-led model of scabies surveillance in remote Aboriginal communities in Australia.