Anita Ramesh BA MS PhD

Research Fellow

• Affiliation
• Teaching
• Research

• K390 / ICEH
• LSHTM
• Keppel Street
• London
• WC1E 7HT
• T: +44 (0)20 7958 8162

I received my B.A. in Biology from St.Olaf College and M.S. in Epidemiology from the Stanford University School of Medicine. Prior to commencing my PhD at LSHTM, I spent four years at the Minnesota Department of Health as an infectious disease epidemiologist on an adult immunizations demonstration project funded though the Emerging Infections Program of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Affiliation

• Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Department of Clinical Research

Teaching

Teaching:

Pratical Facilitator: Analysis and Design of Research Studies (ADRS)

Course Content Development: Principles of Public Health, Biostatistics and Epidemiology
[Distance Learning]

Practical Facilitator: Intensive Course in Epidemiology and Medical Statistics (ICEMS) [Short Course]

 

Other:

Managing Editor, Emerging Themes in Epidemiology (www.ete-online.com), an open access, peer reviewed journal on Biomed Central.

Research

 

Trachoma: My current work involves investigating the relationship between environmental and climatic factors and eye health, in particular trachoma. In the longer term, we hope to better understand how trachoma distribution may be affected by climate change, largely in order to inform programmatic planning for disease elimination and health service delivery activities. Trachoma – causative agent Chlamydia trachomatis – is the world’s leading cause of preventable blindness. Classified as one of the ‘neglected tropical diseases’ (NTDs), trachoma is spread through contact with the eye secretions of an infected person (e.g., hands, towels, ‘eye-seeking flies’). Once endemic in Europe, improvements in water access, hygiene and sanitation and better housing have all contributed to localized trachoma elimination. Today, trachoma is an important cause of visual impairment, blindness and chronic discomfort in only the poorest communities in 57 endemic countries (mainly in Africa). Over 40 million people are infected with C. trachomatis, of which 8 million suffer from trichiasis (a condition in which the eyelid turns inwards, causing corneal scraping by the eyelashes). It is estimated that 1.2 billion people – one in five on the planet – live in trachoma-endemic areas. The best method for trachoma control is the SAFE (S=surgery to the upper eyelids; A=antibiotics for active infection; F=facial cleanliness, and E=environmental hygiene) strategy. The ‘F’ and ‘E’ elements reduce C. trachomatis transmission by targeting hygiene and environmental factors such as ‘eye-seeking flies,’ as those communities at greatest risk suffer poverty, inadequate water supply and poor sanitation, and depend on livestock and subsistence farming. These communities are likely to be adversely affected by climate change in several ways (e.g., increasing desertification; insufficient water for proper hygiene; inadequate water for waste disposal, which could exacerbate the propagation of ‘eye seeking flies’).  Our project on climate and trachoma involves: i) reviewing the literature to determine how the distribution, frequency and severity of trachoma may be affected by climatic and environmental changes; ii) identifying gaps in the literature which could lead to future research. This work is being funded by Sightsavers, which supports large scale initiatives for the control of onchocerciasis and trachoma as well as research to provide the evidence base for programme development and advocacy. Principal collaborators include Professor Clare Gilbert (ICEH/ITD/LSHTM) and Dr. Sari Kovats (GHD/PHP/LSHTM), and Dr. Elena Scmidt (Sightsavers) and Dominic Haslam (Sightsavers).

Lymphatic Filariasis: My doctoral work, entitled 'The role of residential proximity to public and private water sources in lymphatic filariasis,' was conducted in Recife, Brazil. It involved: i) a systematic literature review; ii) a case-control study [surveys; household inspections; geo-referencing each person, house, and feature (e.g., water source of interest]; and iii) an ecological study [interpolating missing census data via Bayesian(Markov Chain Monte Carlo, MCMC) methods]. It was supervised by Dr. Neal Alexander, DIDE/EPH/LSHTM, and was funded by the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR); Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit (IDEU), LSHTM; and Director’s Office and Department of Parasitology, CPqAM-FIOCRUZ. It was supervised by Dr. Neal Alexander (LSHTM) and Dr. Cynthia Braga (CPqAM/FCPR).

Other Interests: I have a strong interest in NTDs, especially those that are vector-borne (e.g.,dengue) or related to eye health; sanitation; and environmental risk factors.

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