Epidemiological Modelling of Simultaneous Control of Multiple Cassava Virus Diseases

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In this project, we will collaborate with researchers from six West African countries (Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso), which are part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Department for International Development project WAVE (West Africa Virus Epidemiology for Root and Tuber Crops), to design effective control and management strategies for these cassava diseases. Our research aims to assess disease control methods that could maximise yield in a cost-effective manner. Current potential control methods for CMD and CBSD include using resistant or tolerant cultivars, removing infected plants and restricting trade. From our previous work on the control of cassava diseases, we know that implementing these measures may not always be straightforward. For example, trade restrictions limit the dispersal of the disease, but also slow the dispersal of new varieties through the informal trade sector. This suggests that control through a combination of strategies requires careful planning.Recently the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Department for International Development have awarded the project "West African Virus Epidemiology for Root and Tuber Crops" (WAVE). The WAVE project aims to collect data to underpin the development of disease control strategies. We currently support the WAVE project with sampling guidance, however, within WAVE there is no capacity to use the data to develop models and produce a set of effective control options for multiple diseases simultaneously. Our proposal aims to identify, using modelling in combination with the data from the WAVE project, how best to coordinate a combined approach to controlling these diseases based on the use of resistant and tolerant planting material, which will help decision-makers across the region to plan how best to implement disease control strategies to alleviate the yield loses caused.In order to assess the most effective cassava disease control strategies, we will begin our work by modelling the distribution of cassava in the region, using the most recent satellite population, cropland distribution and cassava production data. We will use this host distribution map to advise on sampling strategies, as well as offering statistical and data management support throughout. We will then develop a model for the spread of CMD and explore factors that deliver robust control of the pathogen. We will adapt a previous model on the spread of CBSD to a West-African context, and will determine both the risk of introduction and the likely rate of spread should it reach West Africa. We will then identify factors that are effective in rapid containment and eradication of the disease. Finally, we will combine the models to consider the dispersal and control of both diseases simultaneously. We will use this to advise WAVE collaborators on the best use of control strategies in order to increase the likelihood of successfully managing CMD while retaining the ability to eradicate CBSD incursions. This will lead to significant reductions in yield losses attributed to both diseases for cassava growers across the region and a subsequent increase in population welfare.