scholarly journals Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among children and staff in German daycare centers: results from the COALA study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julika Loss ◽  
Juliane Wurm ◽  
Gianni Varnaccia ◽  
Anja Schienkiewitz ◽  
Helena Iwanowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Genetic Sequencing ◽  
Daycare Centers ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Comprehensive Information ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
Alpha Variant ◽  
Local Health Authorities

Background: Whereas the majority of children under 6 years of age attend daycare centers in Germany, evidence on the role of daycare centers in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is scarce. Aims: This study aims to investigate the transmission risk in daycare centers among children and staff and the spread of infections to associated households. Methods: 30 daycare groups with at least one recent laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 case (child or staff) were enrolled in the study (10/2020-06/2021). Close contacts within the daycare group and households were examined over a 12-day period (repeated SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests, genetic sequencing of viruses, documentation of symptoms). Households, local health authorities and daycare staff were interviewed to gain comprehensive information on each outbreak. We determined primary cases for all daycare groups. Results: The number of secondary cases varied considerably between daycare groups. The pooled secondary attack rate (SAR) across all 30 daycare centers was 9.6%. The SAR tended to be higher in daycare centers in which the Alpha variant of the virus was detected (15.9% vs. 5.1% with evidence of wild type). The SAR in households was 53.3%. Exposed children were less likely to get infected with SARS-CoV-2 in daycare centers, compared to adults (7.7% vs. 15.5%). Conclusion: Containment measures in daycare programs are critical and become increasingly important with highly transmissible new variants to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission, especially to avoid spread to associated households. Virus variants may modify transmission dynamics in daycare programs.

Social Media for Health Communication

2014 ◽  
pp. 237-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Cioni ◽  
Alessandro Lovari
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Organizations ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Organizations ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Local Health Authorities

The aim of this chapter is to highlight the current issues and the challenging process of the adoption of social media by Italian local health authorities (ASL). After a literature review of the role of social media for health organizations, the authors focus their attention on how social network sites are modifying health communication and relations with citizens in Italy. They conduct an exploratory study articulated in three stages: after mapping the presence of local health authorities on the most popular social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), they carry out a content analysis to describe the prevalent kinds of messages published in the official Facebook timelines; in the third phase, using several interviews with healthcare directors and communications managers, the authors investigate implementation issues, managerial implications, and constraints that influence proper use of these participative platforms by Italian public health organizations. Limitations and further steps of the research are discussed.

OBSTETRICS AND LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES

BMJ ◽  
1924 ◽  
Vol 2 (3329) ◽  
pp. 741-742
Author(s):  
J. G. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Local Health ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Local Health Authorities

scholarly journals Mobility, exposure, and epidemiological timelines of COVID-19 infections in China outside Hubei province

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Fan Liu ◽  
Xiao-Ke Xu ◽  
Ye Wu
Keyword(s):  
Hubei Province ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Travel History ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Virus Exposure ◽  
Public Disclosures ◽  
Local Health Authorities

AbstractThe 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is pseudonymously linked to more than 100 million cases in the world as of January 2021. High-quality data are needed but lacking in the understanding of and fighting against COVID-19. We provide a complete and updating hand-coded line-list dataset containing detailed information of the cases in China and outside the epicenter in Hubei province. The data are extracted from public disclosures by local health authorities, starting from January 19. This dataset contains a very rich set of features for the characterization of COVID-19’s epidemiological properties, including individual cases’ demographic information, travel history, potential virus exposure scenario, contacts with known infections, and timelines of symptom onset, quarantine, infection confirmation, and hospitalization. These cases can be considered the baseline COVID-19 transmissibility under extreme mitigation measures, and therefore, a reference for comparative scientific investigation and public policymaking.

scholarly journals Childhood Immunisation Coverage during the COVID-19 Epidemic in Italy

Vaccines ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 120
Author(s):  
Michela Sabbatucci ◽  
Anna Odone ◽  
Carlo Signorelli ◽  
Andrea Siddu ◽  
Andrea Silenzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
National Health System ◽  
P Value ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Rate Decrease ◽  
Rotavirus Vaccination ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Vaccine Type ◽  
Childhood Vaccine ◽  
Local Health Authorities

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected national healthcare systems worldwide, with around 282 million cumulative confirmed cases reported in over 220 countries and territories as of the end of 2021. The Italian National Health System was heavily affected, with detrimental impacts on preventive service delivery. Routine vaccination services were disrupted across the country during the first months of the pandemic, and both access to and demand for vaccines have decreased during the pandemic. In many cases, parents preferred to postpone scheduled appointments for routine paediatric vaccinations because of stay-at-home orders or fear of COVID-19 infection when accessing care. The objective of the current study was to assess the routine childhood vaccine coverage (VC) rates during the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy. We compared 2020 and 2019 VC by age group and vaccine type. The Italian Ministry of Health collected anonymised and aggregated immunisation national data through the local health authorities (LHAs). Results were considered statistically significant at a two-tailed p-value ≤ 0.05. VC rates for mandatory vaccinations decreased in 2020 compared to 2019 (range of VC rate decrease: −1% to −2.7%), while chicken pox increased (+2.2%) in 7-year-old children. Recommended vaccinations were moderately affected (range of VC rate decrease in 2020 vs. 2019: −1.4% to −8.5%), with the exception of anti-HPV in males, Men ACWY, and anti-rotavirus vaccination (VC increase 2020 vs. 2019: +1.8%, +4.7% and +9.4%, respectively). In the COVID-19 era, the implementation of coherent, transparent, and effective communication campaigns and educational programs on safe childhood vaccinations, together with the increase in the number of healthcare staff employed, is essential to support strategies to reinforce vaccination confidence and behaviour, thus avoiding health threats due to VPD during and beyond COVID-19 times.

The Public Health Police

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Hoppe
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Adherence To Treatment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Treatment Regimens ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Local Health Authorities

As the HIV epidemic wore on in the 2000s, public health authorities became enamored with the idea of “ending AIDS.” That is, if they could just get HIV-positive people to take their pills and stop infecting other people. Health departments began to track HIV-positive clients more closely, aiming to control their behavior and ensure their adherence to treatment regimens. This chapter explores how local health authorities ensure that HIV-positive clients behave in a manner officials deem responsible—and how they catch and punish those who do not. While the state maintains that the work of local health officials is done solely in the interests of promoting public health, their efforts to control HIV-positive clients reveal that they are also engaged in policing and law enforcement.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal distribution of a non-haematophagous bat community and rabies virus circulation: a proposal for urban rabies surveillance in Brazil

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Dias ◽  
F. Rocha ◽  
F. M. Ulloa-Stanojlovic ◽  
A. Nitsche ◽  
C. Castagna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Risk ◽  
Rabies Virus ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Positive Sample ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Passive Surveillance System ◽  
Local Health Authorities ◽  
Near Future ◽  
The City

AbstractIn Brazil, rabies surveillance is based on monitoring domestic and wild animals, although the most prevalent lineage of the rabies virus (RABV) currently diagnosed in Brazil is associated with bats, particularly non-haematophagous bats. Disease control is based on the mass vaccination of dogs and cats. We used data collected by the passive surveillance system of the city of Campinas from 2011 to 2015, to describe the temporal and geographic distributions of the bat specimens and RABV and discuss the current rabies surveillance with the advent of the declaration of canine and feline rabies-free areas in Brazil. We described the species, locations and health statuses of the collected bat specimens. Moreover, all samples were submitted for RABV diagnosis. Then, we performed a time series decomposition for each bat family. Additionally, we determined the spatiotemporal relative risk for RABV infection using the ratio of the kernel-smoothed estimates of spatiotemporal densities of RABV-positive and RABV-negative bats. From the 2537 bat specimens, the most numerous family was Molossidae (72%), followed by Vespertilionidae (14%) and Phyllostomidae (13%). The bat families behaved differently in terms of seasonal and spatial patterns. The distribution of bats varied geographically in the urban environment, with Molossidae and Phyllostomidae being observed downtown and Vespertilionidae being observed in peripheral zones. Concurrently, a significant relative risk of RABV infection was observed downtown for Vespertilionidae and in peripheral zones for Molossidae. No RABV-positive sample clusters were observed. As a result of the official declaration of RABV-free areas in southern Brazil, mass dog and cat vaccinations are expected to halt in the near future. This stoppage would make most dog and cat populations susceptible to other RABV lineages, such as those maintained by non-haematophagous bats. In this scenario, all information available on bats and RABV distribution in urban areas is essential. Currently, few studies have been conducted. Some local health authorities, such as that in Campinas, are spontaneously basing their surveillance efforts on bat rabies, which is the alternative in reality scenario of increased susceptibility to bat-associated RABV that is developing in Brazil.

A New Pattern in Day Hospital Development the West Middlesex Day Hospital

1963 ◽  
Vol 109 (458) ◽  
pp. 29-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brice Pitt ◽  
Morris Markowe
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Day Hospital ◽  
New Era ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Hospital Boards ◽  
Hospital Development ◽  
Mental Treatment ◽  
Local Health Authorities

Slowly but surely the emphasis of the mental health service is moving from the mental hospital into the community which it serves. The trend of these community developments can be seen as far back as the establishment of psychiatric out-patient clinics at general hospitals under the Mental Treatment Act, 1930, together with arrangements for after care, and continued by mental hospitals and regional hospital boards since the advent of the National Health Service. While the new era in British psychiatry awaits the implementation by local health authorities of their mandatory functions under the Mental Health Act, 1959, much can still be done within the hospital services proper to shift the emphasis into the community. One such method is described in this study of a Day Hospital developed within a large general hospital.

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