scholarly journals Quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in wastewater through allele-specific RT-qPCR

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Lin Lee ◽  
Xiaoqiong Gu ◽  
Federica Armas ◽  
Fuqing Wu ◽  
Franciscus Chandra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Immune Evasion ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Qpcr Assay ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Quantitative Detection ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Health Control ◽  
The World ◽  
Allele Specific

On November 26, 2021, the B.1.1.529 COVID-19 variant was named as the Omicron variant of concern. Reports of higher transmissibility and potential immune evasion triggered flight bans and heightened health control measures across the world to stem its distribution. Wastewater-based surveillance has demonstrated to be a useful complement for community-based tracking of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Using design principles of our previous assays that detect SARS-CoV-2 variants (Alpha and Delta), here we report an allele-specific RT-qPCR assay that simultaneously targets mutations Q493R, G496S and Q498R for quantitative detection of the Omicron variant in wastewater. This method is open-sourced and can be implemented using commercially available RT-qPCR protocols, and would be an important tool for tracking the spread and introduction of the Omicron variant in communities for informed public health responses.

scholarly journals Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 tracking of variants Delta, Delta plus, Kappa and Beta in wastewater by allele-specific RT-qPCR

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Lin Lee ◽  
Xiaoqiong Gu ◽  
Federica Armas ◽  
Franciscus Chandra ◽  
Hongjie Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Principles ◽  
Quantitative Detection ◽  
Community Based ◽  
The World ◽  
Allele Specific ◽  
Alpha Variant ◽  
Viral Titers

The Delta (B.1.617.2) variant has caused major devastation in India and other countries around the world. First detected in October 2020, it has now spread to more than 100 countries, prompting WHO to declare it as a global variant of concern (VOC). The Delta (B.1.617.2), Delta plus (B.1.617.2.1) and Kappa (B.1.617.1) variants are all sub-lineages of the original B.1.617 variant. Prior to the inception of B.1.617, vaccine rollout, safe-distancing and timely lockdowns greatly reduced COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. However, the Delta variant, allegedly more infectious and for which existing vaccines seemed less effective, has catalyzed the resurgence of cases. Therefore, there is an imperative need for increased surveillance of the B.1.617 variants. Efforts have been made to utilize wastewater-based surveillance for community-based tracking of SARS-CoV-2 variants, however wastewater with its low SARS-CoV-2 viral titers and mixtures of viral variants, requires assays to be variant-specific yet accurately quantitative for meaningful interpretation. Following on the design principles of our previous assays for the Alpha variant, here we report allele-specific RT-qPCR assays targeting mutations T19R, D80A, K417N, T478K and E484Q, for quantitative detection and discrimination of the Delta, Delta plus, Kappa and Beta variants in wastewater. This method is open-sourced and can be implemented using commercially available RT-qPCR protocols, and would be an important tool for tracking the spread of B.1.617 and the Beta variants in communities.

scholarly journals Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Emerging and Future Challenges for Dental and Oral Medicine

2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 481-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Meng ◽  
F. Hua ◽  
Z. Bian
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
World Health ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Dental Practitioners ◽  
The World ◽  
Essential Knowledge ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), originating in Wuhan, China, has become a major public health challenge for not only China but also countries around the world. The World Health Organization announced that the outbreaks of the novel coronavirus have constituted a public health emergency of international concern. As of February 26, 2020, COVID-19 has been recognized in 34 countries, with a total of 80,239 laboratory-confirmed cases and 2,700 deaths. Infection control measures are necessary to prevent the virus from further spreading and to help control the epidemic situation. Due to the characteristics of dental settings, the risk of cross infection can be high between patients and dental practitioners. For dental practices and hospitals in areas that are (potentially) affected with COVID-19, strict and effective infection control protocols are urgently needed. This article, based on our experience and relevant guidelines and research, introduces essential knowledge about COVID-19 and nosocomial infection in dental settings and provides recommended management protocols for dental practitioners and students in (potentially) affected areas.

scholarly journals The international vaccine scene

2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscilla Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Communicable Disease Control ◽  
Enteric Diseases ◽  
The World ◽  
Syncytial Virus

INFECTIOUS AND COMMUNICABLE DISEASES account for a large burden of disease worldwide, causing the death of roughly a million people each month (WHO 2004). This book is about some of the ways in which this enormous problem is being addressed. The book comprises a collection of papers from the global Conference on vaccines, prevention, and public health and is as much about public health thinking in communicable disease control as it is specifically about vaccines. Its contributors are practitioners in the field of immunisation and communicable disease control from all over the world. The book is clearly set out in eight sections, with both an introductory summary, Setting the stage, and an Epilogue summary section. The specific sections cover The present, with summaries of measles, rubella and poliovirus control measures, as well as the case of yellow fever which is used as a warning about what can happen if we take our eyes off the public-health-control ball. This is followed by The cutting edge, covering the newest vaccines for Haemophilus influenzae, varicella (chicken pox), hepatitis A, and the two major bacterial infections ? meningococcal and pneumococcal diseases. The future section covers prospects for vaccines to control a variety of infections, including the enteric diseases rotavirus, Shigella and typhoid; two major causes of cancer, Helicobacter pylori (gastric cancers and ulcers) and human papillomavirus (cervical cancer); hepatitis C; and two common causes of viral respiratory disease, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is a good example of a common disease which carries a large burden of morbidity (Chin 2002) all over the world, especially among children, and yet few people have heard of it.

scholarly journals Underlying Chronic Disease and COVID-19 Infection: A State-of-the-Art Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Habib Haybar ◽  
Khalil Kazemnia ◽  
Fakher Rahim
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Healthcare Staff ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
The World

Context: In late December 2019, a new coronavirus, called COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2/2019-nCoV), triggered the outbreak of pneumonia from Wuhan (Han’s seafood market) in China, which is now possessing major public health threats to the world. The objective of this review was to describe the epidemiology of COVID-19 in different chronic diseases and understand the pathophysiological mechanisms by which the virus can lead to the progression of these diseases. Results: The prevalence of COVID-19 infection has become a clinical threat to the general population and healthcare staff around the world. However, knowledge is limited about this new virus. The most commonly reported conditions are diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease. Conclusions: Effective antiviral therapy and vaccination are currently being evaluated and under-development. What we can do now is the aggressive implementation of infection control measures to prevent the human-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Public health services should also monitor the situation. The more the knowledge about this new virus and its prevalence, the better the ability of us to deal with it. It is hoped that we will overcome COVID-19 soon with the discovery of effective vaccines, drugs, and treatments.

scholarly journals Can Wastewater be Used to Improve our COVID-19 Surveillance Efforts?

CommonHealth ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-147
Author(s):  
Shannon McGinnis ◽  
Shane Mclouglin ◽  
Tiffany Buturla ◽  
Nishita D'Souza ◽  
José Logo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Health Control ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Wastewater Samples

As the spread of COVID-19 continues to significantly impact daily life in the United States and globally, there is a need for a clear understanding of disease prevalence in communities. Traditional methods that rely on counting individual cases often result in underreporting due to limited access to testing or healthcare. This issue is further exacerbated by the spread of COVID-19 by asymptomatic or presymptomatic individuals who may not seek testing. Historically, wastewater surveillance has been used to provide population-level data on the prevalence of infectious diseases in communities. Data collected through wastewater surveillance has been used to advise public health control measures, such as vaccination campaigns, and to detect local outbreaks before cases are reported to public health authorities. For this reason, researchers around the globe have been analyzing wastewater samples for SARS-CoV-2 to assist in our response to the existing COVID-19 pandemic. This commentary discusses the potential utility of wastewater-based surveillance to advise public health control strategies for COVID-19 and discusses how it may be used to strengthen local surveillance efforts in Philadelphia.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of control measures during the SARS epidemic in Beijing: a comparison of the Rt curve and the epidemic curve

2007 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
pp. 562-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. COWLING ◽  
L. M. HO ◽  
G. M. LEUNG
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Quantitative Assessment ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Transmission Dynamics ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Primary Case ◽  
Epidemic Curve ◽  
Health Control

SUMMARYOne of the areas most affected by SARS was Beijing with 2521 reported cases. We estimate the effective reproductive number Rt for the Beijing SARS epidemic, which represents the average number of secondary cases per primary case on each day of the epidemic and is therefore a measure of the underlying transmission dynamics. Our results provide a quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of public health control measures. More generally, our results illustrate how changes in Rt will reflect changes in the epidemic curve.

Disaster Public Health Considerations

2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 32-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Abbott
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Hazardous Materials ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Control ◽  
Public Health Information ◽  
Response And Recovery ◽  
Human Wastes

AbstractThis paper provides an overview of disaster public health preparedness, response, and recovery activities with particular reference to examples that have occurred in California. It discusses the public health considerations from two aspects: 1) general public health effects; and 2) public and environmental health control measures. The latter discussion is divided into: 1) drinking water; 2) human wastes; 3) food; 4) personal hygiene; 5) mass care and shelter; 6) solid waste and debris; 7) hazardous materials; 8) injury prevention programs and public health information; 9) vector control; and 10) disease control and surveillance. Two tables summarize the disaster medical and health functions as they relate to public health.

scholarly journals 13.A. Workshop: Responding to COVID19 in Europe: a tale of five countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
World Health ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Outbreak Management ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Incidence And Mortality ◽  
The World ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Population Attitudes

Abstract Since emerging from a market in Wuhan China in December 2019, SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen causing COVID-19, has spread worldwide. On January 30th 2020 the World Health Organization declared the COVID19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and declared it a pandemic on March 11th 2020. With over 2.4 million cases and 180,000 deaths reported by mid-June, Europe has been the second most affected region in the world. Individual countries such as Italy and the UK have been amongst the hardest hit in the world. However, the COVID19 situation in Europe is marked by wide variations both in terms of how countries have been affected, and in terms of how they have responded. The proposed workshop will provide compare and contrast the situation and response in five countries in the European region: The UK, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Sweden, moderated by a firm and charismatic chair. This interactive workshop will enable better understanding of the disease's spread and trajectory in different EU countries. International comparisons will help to describe the growth and scale of the pandemic in the selected EU countries. The choice of countries reflects those that have reported high and low incidence and mortality, as well as represent a range in the strictness of the control measures implemented, from full lockdown to the most permissive. The session will go beyond describing those and will be an opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of these different approaches and lessons learnt around the different components of the response such as case identification, contact tracing, testing, social distancing, mask use, health communication and inequalities. We plan to have short and effective 5 min presentations followed by a longer and constructively provocative moderated discussion. Importantly, the five European case studies will offer ground to discuss the public health principles behind outbreak management preparedness and balancing public health with other imperatives such as economic ones, but also social frustration. The audience will be engaged through a Q&A session. Key messages The approach to managing the COVID19 outbreak has varied among European countries, and the optimal approach is likely to be context specific. The effect of the pandemic will be long term and public health imperatives must take population attitudes and behavior as well as economic and indirect health effects into account.

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