Knowledge Translation for Disease Control in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

The last decade has seen mixed results when it comes to progress to control tropical diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There are great expectations that a group of at least five Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) could be eliminated or eradicated within a few years, furthermore for at least six other NTDs continued significant gains are expected. Nevertheless, for roughly an equal number of diseases, progress has been stagnant, minimal, or, in some cases, we are losing ground, particularly for some vector-borne and zoonotic NTDs. On the bright side, the last decade has seen a burst in research and development for NTDs, which could potentially provide solutions for making progress towards elimination or eradication. Yet this growing body of knowledge still needs to be translated into evidence-based policies, interventions or implementation processes. Therefore, our central challenge for making significant progress toward elimination or eradication is not just to address knowledge gaps, but also to address “know-do” gaps, translating existing knowledge into actions on the ground, and scaling them up. Knowledge translation (KT) has emerged as a paradigm to address many challenges for closing the "know-do" gap. KT is commonly defined as: “A dynamic and iterative process that includes synthesis, dissemination, exchange and ethically-sound application of knowledge to improve [health]…. provide more effective health services and products and strengthen the health care system…. within a complex system of interactions between researchers and users.” 

At Frontiers in Tropical Diseases, we look forward to playing a role in enhancing KT and bridging the know-do gap for tropical diseases control. Therefore, in this Research Topic of Frontiers in Tropical Diseases, we call for papers on knowledge translation to support control/elimination of tropical diseases. Such papers may document KT processes, activities, and/or evaluations. We are interested in both KT directed towards policy makers and KT directed towards communities.