scholarly journals Impact of Public Health Interventions on Seasonal Influenza Activity During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Korea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyunju Lee ◽  
Heeyoung Lee ◽  
Kyoung-Ho Song ◽  
Eu Suk Kim ◽  
Jeong Su Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Seasonal Influenza ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
National Response ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was introduced in Korea early with a large outbreak in mid-February. We reviewed the public health interventions used during the COVID-19 outbreak and describe the impact on seasonal influenza activity in Korea. Methods National response strategies, public health interventions and daily COVID-19–confirmed cases in Korea were reviewed during the pandemic. National influenza surveillance data were compared between 7 sequential seasons. Characteristics of each season, including rate of influenza-like illness (ILI), duration of epidemic, date of termination of epidemic, distribution of influenza virus strain, and hospitalization, were analyzed. Results After various public health interventions including enforced public education on hand hygiene, cough etiquette, staying at home with respiratory symptoms, universal mask use in public places, refrain from nonessential social activities, and school closures the duration of the influenza epidemic in 2019/2020 decreased by 6–12 weeks and the influenza activity peak rated 49.8 ILIs/1000 visits compared to 71.9–86.2 ILIs/1000 visits in previous seasons. During the period of enforced social distancing from weeks 9–17 of 2020, influenza hospitalization cases were 11.9–26.9-fold lower compared with previous seasons. During the 2019/2020 season, influenza B accounted for only 4%, in contrast to previous seasons in which influenza B accounted for 26.6–54.9% of all cases. Conclusions Efforts to activate a high-level national response not only led to a decrease in COVID-19 but also a substantial decrease in seasonal influenza activity. Interventions applied to control COVID-19 may serve as useful strategies for prevention and control of influenza in upcoming seasons.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 Interventions on Influenza and Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiman Geng ◽  
Gang Li ◽  
Leiliang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection ◽  
Tuberculosis Transmission ◽  
Positive Rate ◽  
The Impact

A series of public health interventions have been implemented to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in China. However, the effect of non-pharmaceutical interventions to COVID-19 on the incidence of the influenza virus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections is not clear. In current study, we analyzed surveillance data on influenza and Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Henan Provincial People’s Hospital in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China from 2019 to 2020. The monthly positive test rate for influenza and Mycobacterium tuberculosis to estimate transmissibility changes was calculated. The positive detection rate of influenza A declined significantly during the implementation of inventions in 2020, from a total positive rate of 17.69% in 2019 to 5.77% in 2020. Similarly, a 2.15% reduction in positive detective rate was seen for influenza B, from a total positive rate of 5.15% in 2019 to 3% in 2020. The positive rate curve of Mycobacterium tuberculosis measured by x-pert in 2020 remained above the curve in 2019 from March to June, and August, showing the rising trend under these precautions. Our study suggests that non-pharmaceutical public health interventions likely reduced influenza transmission significantly and have less effect on Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission in 2020.

scholarly journals Evolution of disease transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic: patterns and determinants

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Zhu ◽  
Blanca Gallego
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Clustering Algorithm ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Forecasting Accuracy ◽  
Time Lagged ◽  
The Impact

AbstractEpidemic models are being used by governments to inform public health strategies to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. They simulate potential scenarios by manipulating model parameters that control processes of disease transmission and recovery. However, the validity of these parameters is challenged by the uncertainty of the impact of public health interventions on disease transmission, and the forecasting accuracy of these models is rarely investigated during an outbreak. We fitted a stochastic transmission model on reported cases, recoveries and deaths associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection across 101 countries. The dynamics of disease transmission was represented in terms of the daily effective reproduction number ($$R_t$$ R t ). The relationship between public health interventions and $$R_t$$ R t was explored, firstly using a hierarchical clustering algorithm on initial $$R_t$$ R t patterns, and secondly computing the time-lagged cross correlation among the daily number of policies implemented, $$R_t$$ R t , and daily incidence counts in subsequent months. The impact of updating $$R_t$$ R t every time a prediction is made on the forecasting accuracy of the model was investigated. We identified 5 groups of countries with distinct transmission patterns during the first 6 months of the pandemic. Early adoption of social distancing measures and a shorter gap between interventions were associated with a reduction on the duration of outbreaks. The lagged correlation analysis revealed that increased policy volume was associated with lower future $$R_t$$ R t (75 days lag), while a lower $$R_t$$ R t was associated with lower future policy volume (102 days lag). Lastly, the outbreak prediction accuracy of the model using dynamically updated $$R_t$$ R t produced an average AUROC of 0.72 (0.708, 0.723) compared to 0.56 (0.555, 0.568) when $$R_t$$ R t was kept constant. Monitoring the evolution of $$R_t$$ R t during an epidemic is an important complementary piece of information to reported daily counts, recoveries and deaths, since it provides an early signal of the efficacy of containment measures. Using updated $$R_t$$ R t values produces significantly better predictions of future outbreaks. Our results found variation in the effect of early public health interventions on the evolution of $$R_t$$ R t over time and across countries, which could not be explained solely by the timing and number of the adopted interventions.

The Impact of Public Health Interventions on Delaying and Mitigating against Replacement by SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhong Wu ◽  
Francesca Scarabel ◽  
Bushra Majeed ◽  
Nicola Luigi Bragazzi ◽  
James Orbinski
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
The Impact

Syphilis epidemiology and public health interventions in Western Australia from 1991 to 2009

Sexual Health ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kellie S. H. Kwan ◽  
Carolien M. Giele ◽  
Heath S. Greville ◽  
Carole A. Reeve ◽  
P. Heather Lyttle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Congenital Syphilis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Notification Data ◽  
The Impact

Objectives To describe the epidemiology of congenital and infectious syphilis during 1991–2009, examine the impact of public health interventions and discuss the feasibility of syphilis elimination among Aboriginal people in Western Australia (WA). Methods: WA congenital and infectious syphilis notification data in 1991–2009 and national infectious syphilis notification data in 2005–2009 were analysed by Aboriginality, region of residence, and demographic and behavioural characteristics. Syphilis public health interventions in WA from 1991–2009 were also reviewed. Results: During 1991–2009, there were six notifications of congenital syphilis (50% Aboriginal) and 1441 infectious syphilis notifications (61% Aboriginal). During 1991–2005, 88% of notifications were Aboriginal, with several outbreaks identified in remote WA. During 2006–2009, 62% of notifications were non-Aboriginal, with an outbreak in metropolitan men who have sex with men. The Aboriginal : non-Aboriginal rate ratio decreased from 173 : 1 (1991–2005) to 15 : 1 (2006–2009). Conclusions: These data demonstrate that although the epidemiology of syphilis in WA has changed over time, the infection has remained endemic among Aboriginal people in non-metropolitan areas. Given the continued public health interventions targeted at this population, the limited success in eliminating syphilis in the United States and the unique geographical and socioeconomic features of WA, the elimination of syphilis seems unlikely in this state.

The Economics of Infectious Diseases

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Hauck
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Health System Strengthening ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Economic Evaluations ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
The Impact

Economics can make immensely valuable contributions to our understanding of infectious disease transmission and the design of effective policy responses. The one unique characteristic of infectious diseases makes it also particularly complicated to analyze: the fact that it is transmitted from person to person. It explains why individuals’ behavior and externalities are a central topic for the economics of infectious diseases. Many public health interventions are built on the assumption that individuals are altruistic and consider the benefits and costs of their actions to others. This would imply that even infected individuals demand prevention, which stands in conflict with the economic theory of rational behavior. Empirical evidence is conflicting for infected individuals. For healthy individuals, evidence suggests that the demand for prevention is affected by real or perceived risk of infection. However, studies are plagued by underreporting of preventive behavior and non-random selection into testing. Some empirical studies have shown that the impact of prevention interventions could be far greater than one case prevented, resulting in significant externalities. Therefore, economic evaluations need to build on dynamic transmission models in order to correctly estimate these externalities. Future research needs are significant. Economic research needs to improve our understanding of the role of human behavior in disease transmission; support the better integration of economic and epidemiological modeling, evaluation of large-scale public health interventions with quasi-experimental methods, design of optimal subsidies for tackling the global threat of antimicrobial resistance, refocusing the research agenda toward underresearched diseases; and most importantly to assure that progress translates into saved lives on the ground by advising on effective health system strengthening.

scholarly journals Bayesian Model Averaging with Change Points to Assess the Impact of Vaccination and Public Health Interventions

Epidemiology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 889-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esra Kürüm ◽  
Joshua L. Warren ◽  
Cynthia Schuck-Paim ◽  
Roger Lustig ◽  
Joseph A. Lewnard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Bayesian Model ◽  
Bayesian Model Averaging ◽  
Model Averaging ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Change Points ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Fistula as a Public Health challenge in Pakistan

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamoon Noushad ◽  
Shershah Syed ◽  
Sadaf Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Obstetric Fistula ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Public Health Challenge ◽  
Effective Public Health ◽  
The Impact

Aims: To explore the impact of obstetric fistula in the county and to propose effective public health interventions that can help to prevent the condition with a long-term goal of eradicating the condition. Methods: The survey and analysis included secondary data addressing women's experiences of fistula; dynamics and limitationsdetermining women's access to in healthcare facilities for fistula management; and restraintsof health professional as well as health inequities. Results: It was assessed that recently, many hospitals and organizations in the country go on board on intercessions to address the impact of the illness, however, much importance is on pinpointing and discussing the existing cases rather than focusing on public health interventions that can help to prevent and eventually eradicate the condition in Pakistan.

scholarly journals The Impact of Public Health Interventions on The First and Second Waves of COVID-19 in Trinidad And Tobago – A Simple Epidemic Model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loren De Freitas ◽  
Han-I Wang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Trinidad And Tobago ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Support Methods ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Combined Interventions

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in more than 35 million confirmed cases worldwide. Currently, there is no specific treatment for the disease or available vaccine to reduce the spread of COVID-19. As such, countries rely on a range of public health interventions to assist in halting the spread of transmission. Caribbean countries have also adopted many public health interventions. In this paper, we use mathematical modelling to demonstrate the impact of public health interventions on the progression of COVID-19 in order to provide timely decision support. Methods A cohort Markov model, based on the concept of the SEIR model, was built to reflect the characteristics of the COVID-19 virus. Five possible public health interventions in the first wave and a projection of current second wave were simulated using the constructed model. Results The model results indicate that the strictest combined interventions of complete border closure and lockdown were the most effective with the number of deaths less than ten in the first wave. For the current second wave, it will take around 30 days for the pandemic to pass its peak after implementing the wearing of face masks policy. Conclusions This paper shows the impact of common public health interventions on the COVID-19 pandemic, using Trinidad and Tobago as an example. Such impacts may be useful in reducing delays in decision-making and improving compliance by populations. However, given the limitations associated with mathematical models, decision-making should be guided by economic assessments, infectious disease and public health expertise.

scholarly journals Spotlight influenza: The 2019/20 influenza season and the impact of COVID-19 on influenza surveillance in the WHO European Region

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (40) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia Adlhoch ◽  
Miriam Sneiderman ◽  
Oksana Martinuka ◽  
Angeliki Melidou ◽  
Nick Bundle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza A ◽  
Influenza Season ◽  
Healthcare Access ◽  
World Health ◽  
European Region ◽  
Influenza Surveillance ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
Rapid Reduction ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
The Impact

Background Annual seasonal influenza activity in the northern hemisphere causes a high burden of disease during the winter months, peaking in the first weeks of the year. Aim We describe the 2019/20 influenza season and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sentinel surveillance in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region. Methods We analysed weekly epidemiological and virological influenza data from sentinel primary care and hospital sources reported by countries, territories and areas (hereafter countries) in the European Region. Results We observed co-circulation of influenza B/Victoria-lineage, A(H1)pdm09 and A(H3) viruses during the 2019/20 season, with different dominance patterns observed across the Region. A higher proportion of patients with influenza A virus infection than type B were observed. The influenza activity started in week 47/2019, and influenza positivity rate was ≥ 50% for 2 weeks (05–06/2020) rather than 5–8 weeks in the previous five seasons. In many countries a rapid reduction in sentinel reports and the highest influenza activity was observed in weeks 09–13/2020. Reporting was reduced from week 14/2020 across the Region coincident with the onset of widespread circulation of SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions Overall, influenza type A viruses dominated; however, there were varying patterns across the Region, with dominance of B/Victoria-lineage viruses in a few countries. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an earlier end of the influenza season and reduced influenza virus circulation probably owing to restricted healthcare access and public health measures.

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