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The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), together with research partners Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), Epicentre, and Genesis Analytics, are currently conducting a survey on Healthcare Utilisation and Seroprevalence of COVID-19 in three districts in South Africa, referred to as the HUTS survey.
The NICD has been monitoring respiratory diseases, such as influenza and pneumococcal disease, in South Africa since 1984. These surveillance systems include pneumonia and influenza-like illness surveillance systems conducted at 15 hospitals and clinics in five different provinces in South Africa. As part of the surveillance, individuals are enrolled and samples are collected to test for pathogens of public health importance, including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Bordetella pertussis. As of March 2020, the testing of samples for COVID-19 was included. The survey is be conducted in the same districts where the NICD has these long-standing surveillance programmes.
Although these surveillance programmes have provided the NICD with valuable data and allow for the monitoring of trends, they only give a limited view of the complete burden of disease. Surveillance thus far has been limited to situations where the patient has accessed health services, which means those who haven’t visited clinics or hospitals are not included. The confirmation of COVID-19 infection depends PCR or antigen testing, and is usually only performed for those who seek medical assistance as a result of their illness, which is unlikely the case for those who have only experienced mild or no symptoms.
We know from COVID-19 studies in other countries that the majority of infections have been mild with medical care not required, however, the percentage of mild or asymptomatic infections in communities in South Africa is not known. As such, more in-depth research is required to understand how many people have been infected and thereby the community burden of COVID-19. Whilst collecting this data, additional research questions are being addressed, including Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) of COVID-19, and the economic effects that COVID-19 has had on households, as well as healthcare utilisation and costs during the pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented suffering throughout the world, including in South Africa. We want to give South Africans the opportunity to share their experiences of COVID-19, and how they have been personally affected. Understanding the specific needs of our own population will help to better inform policy and guidelines. We hope that people will take this opportunity to be part of the response” – Prof Cheryl Cohen, Centre Head of the CRDM, NICD.
The HUTS survey will include:
The survey has been designed to collect similar information to other surveys being conducted, both in South Africa and globally. It is vitally important to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the lives of the people of South Africa, and to not only rely on international data to drive decisions made for South Africa.
“We desperately need better data on SARS-CoV-2 transmission from our context; we cannot keep extrapolating from European and Asian counterparts, when our epidemic clearly has different dynamics. This is a superb team, with tons of experience in infectious disease pandemics, and I look forward to their data enabling more coherent responses to the pandemic” – Prof Francois Venter, Ezintsha.
The HUTS research consortium would like to request all the randomly pre-selected households to take this opportunity to participate in this survey. The results of the survey will be crucial in assisting the government in both planning and development of the national response to the COVID-19 epidemic in the country.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa (NICD).
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