Joint calculation of Burden of Disease Indicators within two Data Labs in Berlin

What is the structure of the project, how do people work together?

The project is co-coordinated by Professor Milena Santric Milicevic in Belgrade, Serbia and Professor Kairat Davletov in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Together with the RKI team, they and their staff form the steering group. At the beginning of the project, templates for data access in the partner countries and regions were developed and discussed in online meetings in order to get better insight into the data situation of each partner. The picture was quite heterogeneous, while some are data holders for COVID-19 themselves, others had to request these data from other authorities. In addition to COVID-19 surveillance data, information on the total population and on all-cause mortality were provided in aggregated form using data templates. In individual cases, assistance was sought from WHO Country Offices. The project is supported by the WHO Data and Digital Health Division of Country Health Policies and Systems. During the first workshop 2021 in Belgrade, the partners decided to form three working groups, respectively on data, methods and publications of the project. The design of the project will be published as a study protocol.

• What motivates you to be part of the BoCO-19 project?

  Dilya Sadikkhodjayeva, Uzbekistan:

  Personally, for me the BoCO-19 project is very important in terms of getting skills of managing the process of calculation, to understand scientific tools and methods of analyzing data. This program gave me the chance to work closely with international experts and is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I simply cannot afford to miss.

  Natalya Glushkova, BoCO-19 steering group, Kazakhstan:

  The BoCO-19 became my scientific family. It is my first large project and many insights, knowledge and experience I am taking from it. The project includes people from different countries, but all of them are experts in their own field and always ready to share their ideas and support.

  Pranvera Kaçaniku-Gunga, Kosovo:

  Since this is the first time for Kosovo to conduct burden of disease studies, it’s been a great experience so far. We are happy to adapt this methodology and we hope to continue the collaboration, in order to do more of these kinds of studies for other diseases as well. Kosovo is very committed in increasing its scientific capacities and publishing more study results in the future.

  Natasa Terzic, Montenegro:

  At the very beginning motivation was mostly BoD methodological approach to analyze, use and present our COVID-19 data giving them the new dimension and enabling better insight into data. Furthermore, it was the opportunity to recognize better data needs, our weaknesses and possible strengths in health information and monitoring system, to compare data collection systems and final results as well as the public health systems in general.

• Do you think you can profit from the project in the future?

  Batmanduul Erdenebat, Mongolia:

  Research in this field is rare in Mongolia, and it is highly significant as it is the first study that calculates the burden of the COVID-19 disease on a national level. In the future, this project stands as an innovative work in Mongolia for the calculation of the burden of diseases using international methods.

  Dilya Sadikkhodjayeva, Uzbekistan:

  Low quality is a problem at many points of Uzbekistan’s health care system, including statistical methodology. There is a need for implementing a harmonized data methodology. It will be useful to consider the implications for decision and action to assess and improve the performance of health statistics in Uzbekistan.

  Atadjan Khamrayev, Uzbekistan:

  I am sure that BoCO-19 will bring benefits to all its participants in the future. The exchange of views and experiences for the research team is very useful in scientific communication, understanding and use of COVID-19 burden indicators. From this exchange, research ideas and potential publications in peer-reviewed journals, may be born in the future.

  Aleksandar Stevanović, Serbia:

  Although the harmonization of population health metrics is the main outcome of this project, the partnerships we’ve established among our countries will continue to grow long after we’ve reached this milestone.
  Working closely with colleagues from the Robert Koch Institute has inspired us to think about new projects: our countries cooperate closely in many areas, so it is only natural that this also includes the public health sector.

• Do you think that the project can contribute to a better use of data with the goal of Pandemic Preparedness?

  Batmanduul Erdenebat, Mongolia:

  In Mongolia, disease statistics and information are well-developed, but their use for pandemic preparedness is insufficient. For me, this project is a valuable contribution to learning the various aspects of how data can be used.

  Aleksandar Stevanović, Serbia:

  Of course! If anything, this pandemic has shown that global efforts and international cooperation should be a top priority if we want to face new crises adequately. The greatest value of the project is in showing that international cooperation during the crisis is possible, even when it comes to the most sensitive public health topics. BoCO-19 project showed that our countries want to learn and partner to do better for their citizens.

  Natalya Glushkova, BoCO-19 steering group, Kazakhstan:

  Sure, it is important to be able to analyze and understand the situation in your own and neighboring countries, to forecast and to be ready.