Suchergebnisse

Background A variety of airline passenger data sources are used for modelling the international spread of infectious diseases. Questions exist regarding the suitability and validity of these sources. Aim We conducted a systematic review to identify the sources of airline passenger data used for these purposes and to assess validation of the data and reproducibility of the methodology. Methods Articles matching our search criteria and describing a model of the international spread of human infectious disease, parameterised with airline passenger data, were identified. Information regarding type and source of airline passenger data used was collated and the studies' reproducibility assessed. Results We identified 136 articles. The majority (n = 96) sourced data primarily used by the airline industry. Governmental data sources were used in 30 studies and data published by individual airports in four studies. Validation of passenger data was conducted in only seven studies. No study was found to be fully reproducible, although eight were partially reproducible. Limitations By limiting the articles to international spread, articles focussed on within-country transmission even if they used relevant data sources were excluded. Authors were not contacted to clarify their methods. Searches were limited to articles in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. Conclusion We recommend greater efforts to assess validity and biases of airline passenger data used for modelling studies, particularly when model outputs are to inform national and international public health policies. We also recommend improving reporting standards and more detailed studies on biases in commercial and open-access data to assess their reproducibility.

The UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council supported a series of meetings in 2021 to develop a roadmap for future research in Quantitative Modelling in Cleaning and Decontamination. Quantitative modelling in this context is the development of numerical and predictive tools, based on scientific principles, which can support design, operation and decision making associated with cleaning and decontamination. The activity involved identifying past and current activities on this topic across a range of different fields, including food and drink, consumer goods, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, nuclear, civil defence and biofilms. Input was received from operators, manufacturing companies, government agencies and researchers. The exercise identified a series of common needs which span sectors, and the challenges which need to be addressed to facilitate transfer of knowledge between sectors and develop the expertise required to tackle new challenges including those posed by sustainability. ; UKRI grant number EP/T033991/1.