Modeling Multi-Pathogen Serosurveillance Data for Public Health Impact

Nicole Wolter of Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Limited in South Africa will establish an African modeling partnership between South Africa, Malawi, and Kenya to ensure that serosurveillance data for vaccine-preventable diseases are effectively incorporated into epidemiological models to guide immunization programs and policies. Serosurveillance provides the most direct measure of a population's immunity. They will establish a collaborative network across the three countries to use serological data to develop two types of models: epidemiological models to inform vaccine program priorities, predict disease burden, and identify immunity gaps and vulnerable groups at risk of outbreaks, and cost-effectiveness models to assess potential changes to these programs. They will train students in the use of AI to enhance data analysis, improve model outputs, and facilitate effective communication. They will regularly engage policymakers and other stakeholders, sharing results to enable comparisons between different countries and making resources available on open-access platforms.