Vulnerabilities for Exposure to Emerging Infectious Disease at Urban Settlements in Nepal
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Ó 2020 EcoHealth Alliance
Original Contribution
Vulnerabilities for Exposure to Emerging Infectious Disease at Urban Settlements in Nepal David Wolking,1 Dibesh Karmacharya,2 Manisha Bista,2 Rima Shrestha,1 Pranav Pandit ,1 Ajay Sharma,2 Sulochana Manandhar,2 Bishwo Shrestha,2 Shailendra Bajracharya,2 Tarka Bhatta,2 Santosh Dulal,2 Rajesh Rajbhandari,2 Brett Smith,1 Jonna Mazet,1 Tracey Goldstein,1 and Christine Johnson1 1
One Health Institute, University of California, Davis Center for Molecular Dynamics Nepal (CMDN), Thapathali -11, Kathmandu, Nepal
2
Abstract: In Nepal, rapid urbanization and rural-to-urban migration especially due to internal civil conflict have catalyzed the development of temporary settlements, often along rivers on undeveloped land. This study conducted surveillance for viruses in small mammals and assessed potential risks for virus transmission to people in urban settlements along rivers in Kathmandu, Nepal. We collected samples from 411 small mammals (100 rodents and 311 shrews) at four riverside settlement sites and detected six viruses from four virus families including Thottapalayam virus; a strain of murine coronavirus; two new paramyxoviruses; and two new rhabdoviruses. Additionally, we conducted surveys of 264 residents to characterize animal–human contact. Forty-eight percent of individuals reported contact with wildlife, primarily with rodents and shrews (91%). Our findings confirm that rodents and shrews should be considered a health threat for residents of temporary settlements, and that assessment of disease transmission risk coupled with targeted surveillance for emerging pathogens could lead to improved disease control and health security for urban populations. Additionally, interventions focused on disease prevention should consider the unique urban ecology and social dynamics in temporary settlements, along with the importance of community engagement for identifying solutions that address specific multi-dimensional challenges that life on the urban river margins presents. Keywords: Zoonoses, Emerging infectious diseases, Interface, Urban, Spillover, Vulnerability, PREDICT, Nepal
INTRODUCTION
Electronic supplementary material: The online version of this article (https://doi. org/10.1007/s10393-020-01499-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Correspondence to: Dibesh Karmacharya, e-mail: [email protected]
In 2009, more than 50% of the world’s population resided in cities (United Nations 2014), and rates of urbanization and growth of cities are projected to increase substantially, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (Cohen 2004, 2006; Dye 2008). Increased urban population growth has profound impacts on health in LMICs, and
D. Wolking et al.
effectively managing rapid urbanization without substantial capacity and resources (Alirol et al. 2011) is challenging where there is high population density in areas that lack infrastructure, conditions that facilitate disease transmission (Eckert and Kohler 2014; Neiderud 2
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