scholarly journals Increasing risks for emerging infectious diseases within a rapidly changing High Asia

AMBIO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charudutt Mishra ◽  
Gustaf Samelius ◽  
Munib Khanyari ◽  
Prashanth Nuggehalli Srinivas ◽  
Matthew Low ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Global Risk ◽  
Disease Surveillance System ◽  
High Asia ◽  
Ecologically Sustainable

AbstractThe cold and arid mountains and plateaus of High Asia, inhabited by a relatively sparse human population, a high density of livestock, and wildlife such as the iconic snow leopard Panthera uncia, are usually considered low risk for disease outbreaks. However, based on current knowledge about drivers of disease emergence, we show that High Asia is rapidly developing conditions that favor increased emergence of infectious diseases and zoonoses. This is because of the existing prevalence of potentially serious pathogens in the system; intensifying environmental degradation; rapid changes in local ecological, socio-ecological, and socio-economic factors; and global risk intensifiers such as climate change and globalization. To better understand and manage the risks posed by diseases to humans, livestock, and wildlife, there is an urgent need for establishing a disease surveillance system and improving human and animal health care. Public health must be integrated with conservation programs, more ecologically sustainable development efforts and long-term disease surveillance.

scholarly journals Surveillance of emerging infectious diseases in wild non-human primates in Kenya: Successes and challenges

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mercy Y. Akinyi ◽  
Stanislaus Kivai ◽  
Peris Mbuthia ◽  
David Kiragu ◽  
Tim Wango ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
High Degree

Abstract Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) originating from wildlife present a significant threat to global health, security, and economic growth, thus combatting their emergence is a public health priority. Humans and non-human primates (NHPs) exhibit a high degree of overlap in their genetic and physiological similarities, hence making them susceptible to majority of pathogens that can cross the primate species boundaries. However, efforts to understand the potential infectious disease-causing pathogens harbored by wild primate populations has lagged and is yet to be fully explored. Disease surveillance in wildlife to identify probable infectious disease outbreaks has remained a challenge especially in developing countries due to logistical and financial constrains associated with both periodic and longitudinal sample collection. Such loopholes have hampered the preparedness to handle the emerging infectious diseases whenever they arise. In this review we focus on successes, challenges, and proposed solutions for EID surveillance in non-human primate populations in Kenya. We discuss,1) mechanisms of cross species transmission of EIDs, 2) the role of NHPS in EID transmission, 3) results from past NHP pathogen surveillance projects in Kenya and 4) challenges and proposed solutions for NHP-EID surveillance. Finally, we propose that more studies need to include investigations into understanding how cross species transmission occurs in diverse NHP populations and how this impacts one health.

scholarly journals Uganda Mountain Community Health System—Perspectives and Capacities towards Emerging Infectious Disease Surveillance

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8562
Author(s):  
Aggrey Siya ◽  
Richardson Mafigiri ◽  
Richard Migisha ◽  
Rebekah C. Kading
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Disease Response ◽  
Mount Elgon ◽  
Public Health Hazards

In mountain communities like Sebei, Uganda, which are highly vulnerable to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, community-based surveillance plays an important role in the monitoring of public health hazards. In this survey, we explored capacities of village health teams (VHTs) in Sebei communities of Mount Elgon in undertaking surveillance tasks for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in the context of a changing climate. We used participatory epidemiology techniques to elucidate VHTs’ perceptions on climate change and public health and assessed their capacities to conduct surveillance for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Overall, VHTs perceived climate change to be occurring with wider impacts on public health. However, they had inadequate capacities in collecting surveillance data. The VHTs lacked transport to navigate through their communities and had insufficient capacities in using mobile phones for sending alerts. They did not engage in reporting other hazards related to the environment, wildlife, and domestic livestock that would accelerate infectious disease outbreaks. Records were not maintained for disease surveillance activities and the abilities of VHTs to analyze data were also limited. However, VHTs had access to platforms that could enable them to disseminate public health information. The VHTs thus need to be retooled to conduct their work effectively and efficiently through equipping them with adequate logistics and knowledge on collecting, storing, analyzing, and relaying data, which will improve infectious disease response and mitigation efforts.

scholarly journals Emergence of evidence during disease outbreaks: lessons learnt from the Zika virus outbreak

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel J Counotte ◽  
Kaspar W Meili ◽  
Nicola Low
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
First Case ◽  
Over Time

AbstractIntroductionOutbreaks of infectious diseases trigger an increase in scientific research and output. Early in outbreaks, evidence is scarce, but it accumulates rapidly. We are continuously facing new disease outbreaks, including the new coronavirus (SARS-nCoV-2) in December 2019.The objective of this study was to describe the accumulation of evidence during the 2013-2016 Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the Pacific and the Americas related to aetiological causal questions about congenital abnormalities and Guillain-Barré syndrome.MethodsWe hypothesised that the temporal sequence would follow a pre-specified order, according to study design. We assessed 1) how long it takes before findings from a specific study design appear, 2) how publication of preprints could reduce the time to publication and 3) how time to publication evolves over time.ResultsWe included 346 publications published between March 6, 2014 and January 1, 2019. In the 2013-–2016 ZIKV outbreak, case reports, case series and basic research studies were published first. Case-control and cohort studies appeared between 400–700 days after ZIKV was first detected in the region of the study origin. Delay due to the publication process were lowest at the beginning of the outbreak. Only 4.6% of the publications was available as preprints.DiscussionThe accumulation of evidence over time in new causal problems generally followed a hierarchy. Preprints reduced the delay to initial publication. Our methods can be applied to new emerging infectious diseases.

scholarly journals Toward a transdisciplinary understanding and a global control of emerging infectious diseases

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 903-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Gonzalez ◽  
Gérard Lambert ◽  
Anaïs Legand ◽  
Patrice Debré
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Human And Social Sciences ◽  
High Level ◽  
International Experts ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Scientific Debates

The Franceville International Centre for Medical Research (CIRMF) organized a first international symposium on infectious diseases, environments, and biodiversity. Over 200 international experts gathered in Gabon to forecast and work to prevent the emergence of infectious diseases. This symposium aimed to strengthen the regional and international fight against the emergence of infectious diseases with high-level scientific debates. Toward this goal, it brought together experts in human and animal health, the environment, and ecology, including biologists, climatologists, microbiologists, epidemiologists, public health professionals, and human and social sciences specialists. National, regional and international participants were present to debate on the challenges related to the emergence of infectious diseases and on the responses to be implemented. The symposium was very successful, and plans for a second symposium of this kind to be held in the near future in another high-biodiversity area are already underway.

scholarly journals When might Host Heterogeneity Drive the Evolution of Asymptomatic, Pandemic Coronaviruses?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenichi W. Okamoto ◽  
Virakbott Ong ◽  
Robert G. Wallace ◽  
Rodrick Wallace ◽  
Luis Fernando Chaves
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Fitness Landscape ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Suppression ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Pathogen Strains ◽  
Host Heterogeneity

For most emerging infectious diseases, including SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), pharmaceutical intervensions such as drugs and vaccines are not available, and disease surveillance followed by isolating, contact-tracing and quarantining infectious individuals is critical for controlling outbreaks. These interventions often begin by identifying symptomatic individuals. However, by actively removing pathogen strains likely to be symptomatic, such interventions may inadvertently select for strains less likely to result in symptomatic infections. Additionally, the pathogen's fitness landscape is structured around a heterogeneous host pool. In particular, uneven surveillance efforts and distinct transmission risks across host classes can drastically alter selection pressures. Here we explore this interplay between evolution caused by disease control efforts, on the one hand, and host heterogeneity in the efficacy of public health interventions on the other, on the potential for a less symptomatic, but widespread, pathogen to evolve. We use an evolutionary epidemiology model parameterized for SARS-CoV-2, as the widespread potential for silent transmission by asymptomatic hosts has been hypothesized to account, in part, for its rapid global spread. We show that relying on symptoms-driven reporting for disease control ultimately shifts the pathogen's fitness landscape and can cause pandemics. We find such outcomes result when isolation and quarantine efforts are intense, but insufficient for suppression. We further show that when host removal depends on the prevalence of symptomatic infections, intense isolation efforts can select for the emergence and extensive spread of more asymptomatic strains. The severity of selection pressure on pathogens caused by these interventions likely lies somewhere between the extremes of no intervention and thoroughly successful eradication. Identifying the levels of public health responses that facilitate selection for asymptomatic pathogen strains is therefore critical for calibrating disease suppression and surveillance efforts and for sustainably managing emerging infectious diseases.

scholarly journals Emerging viral infectious disease threat: Why Tanzania is not in a safe zone

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chacha D. Mangu ◽  
Christina K. Manyama ◽  
Henry Msila ◽  
Lwitiho Sudi ◽  
Godlove Chaula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Early Response ◽  
Emerging Diseases ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Viral Infectious Disease ◽  
The Government

Emerging diseases are global threat towards human existence. Every country is exposed to potentially emergence of infectious diseases. Several factor such as changes in ecology, climate and human demographics play different roles in a complex mechanism contributing to the occurrence of infectious diseases. Important aspects towards control in case of outbreaks are surveillance, preparedness and early response. Tanzania should therefore take opportunity of the calm situation currently present, to prepare. Except for HIV/AIDS, Tanzania has not experienced a major public health threat. However, the question is, is the country safe from emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases? In this article we try to explore the danger of emerging infectious disease (EID) epidemics in Tanzania and the risks attached if an outbreak is to occur. The aim is to formulate recommendations to the government, responsible authorities and general population of what can be done to improve the level of EID preparedness in the country. In conclusion, it is important to strengthen the capacity of community and healthcare staffs on how to respond to potential infectious disease outbreaks. Community-based surveillance systems should be incorporated into the national systems for early detection of public health events. It is also critical to enhance one health approach to increase cross-sectoral information sharing, surveillance and interventional strategies as regards to preparedness and response to disease outbreaks.

Preventing Zoonotic Emerging Disease Outbreaks: The Need to Complement One Health with Ethical Considerations

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Angela K. Martin ◽  
Salome Dürr
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
One Health ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Human Animal

Abstract Human encroachment on the habitats of wild animals and the dense living conditions of farmed animals increase spill-over risk of emerging infectious diseases from animals to humans (such as COVID-19). In this article, we defend two claims: First, we argue that in order to limit the risk of emerging infectious disease outbreaks in the future, a One Health approach is needed, which focuses on human, animal, and environmental health. Second, we claim that One Health should not solely be grounded in collaborations between veterinary, medical, and environmental scientists, but should also involve more dialogue with animal and environmental ethicists. Such an interdisciplinary approach would result in epidemiology-driven measures that are ethically legitimate.

EpidVis: A visual web querying tool for animal epidemiology surveillance

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samiha Fadloun ◽  
Arnaud Sallaberry ◽  
Alizé Mercier ◽  
Elena Arsevska ◽  
Mathieu Roche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Integration ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
User Study ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
External Information ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Domain Experts ◽  
Epidemic Intelligence

The use of electronic media for the detection and monitoring of animal disease outbreaks is crucial for disease surveillance and early warning systems. Animal health specialists regularly query web pages using various formulations to obtain up-to-date news on disease outbreaks. This task, however, is often manual and time-consuming. Visualization techniques can nevertheless facilitate their web searches, compared to traditional searches. This article presents EpidVis, a visual web query tool designed for experts in animal health, conducting epidemic intelligence activities from news sources on the Internet. It consists of several views that help the domain experts efficiently build and launch queries, as well as visualize the results. Moreover, it supports external information integration to help domain experts enrich their knowledge and adapt their queries. EpidVis was assessed considering usability (user study) and usefulness for experts (case study). The results show that our tool helps domain experts in their daily surveillance tasks, allowing them to extract in timely manner accurate information on disease outbreaks from the web.

Public health professionals’ perceptions of the capacity of China’s CDCs to address emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Xiaoliang Tong ◽  
Alana Hansen ◽  
Scott Hanson-Easey ◽  
Jianjun Xiang ◽  
Scott Cameron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
International Collaborations ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
And Control

AbstractBackgroundChina’s capacity to control and prevent emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases is critical to the nation’s population health. This study aimed to explore the capacity of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs) in China to deal with infectious diseases now and in the future.MethodsA survey was conducted in 2015 among 973 public health professionals at CDCs in Beijing and four provinces, to assess their capacity to deal with emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.ResultsAlthough most professionals were confident with the current capacity of CDCs to cope with outbreaks, nearly all indicated more funding was required to meet future challenges. Responses indicated that Yunnan Province faced more challenges than Anhui, Henan and Liaoning Provinces in being completely prepared and able to deal with outbreaks. Participants aged 20–39 years were more likely than those aged 40 and over to believe strategies such as interdisciplinary and international collaborations for disease surveillance and control, would assist capacity building.ConclusionThe capacity of China’s CDCs to deal with infectious diseases was excellent. However, findings suggest it is imperative to increase the number of skilled CDC staff, financial support, and strengthen county level staff training and health education programs.

Bats and bat-borne diseases: a perspective on Australian megabats

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin H. J. Ng ◽  
Michelle L. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Ecological Niche ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Hendra Virus ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Highly Pathogenic ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
Wide Range

Bats are the second most species rich and abundant group of mammals and display an array of unique characteristics but are also among the most poorly studied mammals. They fill an important ecological niche and have diversified into a wide range of habitats. In recent years, bats have been implicated as reservoirs for some of the most highly pathogenic emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases reported to date, including SARS-like coronavirus, Ebola, Hendra and Nipah viruses. The ability of bats to harbour these viruses in the absence of clinical signs of disease has resulted in a resurgence of interest in bat biology and virus–host interactions. Interest in bats, in Australia in particular, has intensified following the identification of several novel bat-borne viruses from flying-foxes, including Hendra virus, which is capable of spillover from bats to horses and subsequently to humans with potentially fatal consequences. As we continue to encroach on the natural habitats of bats, a better understanding of bat biology, ecology and virus–host interactions has never before been so critical. In this review, we focus on the biology of Australian pteropid bats and the pathogens they harbour, summarising current knowledge of bat-borne diseases, bat ecology, ethology and immunology.

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