VecNet (Vector-Borne Disease Network) Digital Library - Search and Curate Documents and Data

Brief description

The Vector-Borne Disease Network Digital Library contains curated data, tagged citations, articles and reports on entomology, epidemiology, demography and interventions to support malaria eradication.

The VecNet Digital Library is a is a tool developed to improve the availability of publications and datasets. VecNet users are encourages to upload documents to the Digital Library. The access level is nominated during the upload process as:

• Global Access - Open Access
• VecNet Users Only - Available to those with a VecNet login, or
• Private Access - The depositor assigns access to named users.

Full description

About VecNet

Our Work

Although malaria remains both treatable and preventable, the number of infected cases remains high at 350-500 million people worldwide each year. Up to one million of these cases end in death, 85 percent of which occur in children under five years old. Recent global efforts have contributed to declines in malaria-related sickness and death. However, the combined effort of these strategies is still insufficient to eliminate the disease--there is a need for new approaches to eradicate malaria.

Strategies To Fight Malaria

Simulation models use existing data to predict malaria intervention outcomes. They can be run on their own or alongside field experiments. Their use within a project can reduce costs and save time. However, historically their use has been restricted by their availability: by the requirement of advanced mathematical modelling knowledge and expensive modelling software. To address this gap and improve access to simulation modelling programs, VecNet are developing simplified user interfaces for existing simulation programs. These interfaces will be available freely to VecNet users to improve malaria eradication strategies. VecNet also provides user-friendly interfaces to data and information storage, and these can be linked to the simulation modelling interfaces. The combined benefits of the VecNet tool inventory are; accessible information and accessible simulation modelling programs-to create intervention simulations that will inform local malaria eradication strategies.

VecNet Formation

VecNet was founded in 2011 as a consortium of institutions assembled to address the concerns and recommendations of the Malaria Eradication Research Agenda(malERA) initiative. The initiative, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, forms a collection of 12 reviews highlighting the outcomes of consultations with more than 250 experts on malaria from 36 countries. The malERA series of consultations concluded that the first step in malaria elimination requires access to all relevant data, following this, the means to analyze that data. VecNet was formed as a new portal for malaria information and user-friendly analysis tools. Once completed, this achievement will extend present vector control interventions, whilst enabling the incorporation of additional interventions to achieve elimination.

The Vector-Borne Disease Network Digital Library contains curated data, tagged citations, articles and reports on entomology, epidemiology, demography and interventions to support malaria eradication.

The VecNet Digital Library is a is a tool developed to improve the availability of publications and datasets. VecNet users are encourages to upload documents to the Digital Library. The access level is nominated during the upload process as:

• Global Access - Open Access
• VecNet Users Only - Available to those with a VecNet login, or
• Private Access - The depositor assigns access to named users.