scholarly journals Containment of a multi-index B.1.1.7 outbreak on a university campus through a genomically-informed public health response

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Toth Martin ◽  
Adam S Lauring ◽  
JoLynn P Montgomery ◽  
Andrew L Valesano ◽  
Marisa C Eisenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
University Campus ◽  
State Health ◽  
Outbreak Response ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Gene Target ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Rapid Emergence

The first cluster of SARS-CoV-2 cases with lineage B.1.1.7 in the state of Michigan was identified through intensive university-led surveillance sampling and targeted sequencing. A collaborative investigation and response was conducted by the local and state health departments, and the campus and athletic medicine COVID-19 response teams, using S-gene target failure screening and rapid genomic sequencing to inform containment strategies. A total of 50 cases of B.1.1.7-lineage SARS-CoV-2 were identified in this outbreak, which was due to three coincident introductions of B.1.1.7-lineage SARS-CoV-2, all of which were genetically distinct from lineages which later circulated in the broader community. This investigation demonstrates the successful implementation of a genomically-informed outbreak response which can be extended to university campuses and other settings at high risk for rapid emergence of new variants.

scholarly journals Anthropology in public health emergencies:what is anthropology good for?

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. e000534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darryl Stellmach ◽  
Isabel Beshar ◽  
Juliet Bedford ◽  
Philipp du Cros ◽  
Beverley Stringer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Outbreak Response ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Increasing Demand

Recent outbreaks of Ebola virus disease (2013–2016) and Zika virus (2015–2016) bring renewed recognition of the need to understand social pathways of disease transmission and barriers to care. Social scientists, anthropologists in particular, have been recognised as important players in disease outbreak response because of their ability to assess social, economic and political factors in local contexts. However, in emergency public health response, as with any interdisciplinary setting, different professions may disagree over methods, ethics and the nature of evidence itself. A disease outbreak is no place to begin to negotiate disciplinary differences. Given increasing demand for anthropologists to work alongside epidemiologists, clinicians and public health professionals in health crises, this paper gives a basic introduction to anthropological methods and seeks to bridge the gap in disciplinary expectations within emergencies. It asks: ‘What can anthropologists do in a public health crisis and how do they do it?’ It argues for an interdisciplinary conception of emergency and the recognition that social, psychological and institutional factors influence all aspects of care.

scholarly journals National Public Health Response to Candida auris in England

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin S. Brown ◽  
Rebecca Guy
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Agency ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Candida Auris ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Health Response ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Key Steps ◽  
Collaborative Activities ◽  
Rapid Emergence

This paper highlights the key steps undertaken by a national public health agency, working in close collaboration with academic partners and experienced healthcare professionals, in developing a response to the rapid emergence of a novel nosocomial pathogen. It details the key activities in national incident management team formation, surveillance activities, epidemiological investigations, laboratory developments, scientific advances, and collaborative activities. It discusses commonalities that can be adapted for dealing with the emergence of future new pathogens.

scholarly journals Ten Urgent Priorities Based on Lessons Learned From More Than a Half Million Known COVID-19 Cases in US Prisons

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e7
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Barnert ◽  
Ada Kwan ◽  
Brie Williams
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Community Reentry ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Advance Care

COVID-19 is ravaging US prisons. Prison residents and staff must be prioritized for vaccination, but a rapidly mutating virus and high rates of continued spread require an urgent, coordinated public health response. Based on knowledge accumulated from the pandemic thus far, we have identified 10 pressing public health priorities for responding to COVID-19 in prisons: (1) accelerate population reduction coupled with community reentry support, (2) improve prison ventilation systems, (3) ensure appropriate mask use, (4) limit transfers between facilities, (5) strengthen partnerships between public health departments and prison leadership, (6) introduce or maintain effective occupational health programs, (7) ensure access to advance care planning processes for incarcerated patients and delineation of patient health care rights, (8) strengthen partnerships between prison leadership and incarcerated people, (9) provide emergency mental health support for prison residents and staff, and (10) commit to public accountability and transparency. Dedicated prison leaders cannot accomplish these public health priorities alone. We must mobilize prison leaders, staff, and residents; public health departments; community advocates; and policymakers to work together to address the pandemic’s outsized impact in US prisons. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print April 15, 2021: e1–e7. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306221 )

scholarly journals Averting an Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a University Residence Hall through Wastewater Surveillance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryland Corchis-Scott ◽  
Qiudi Geng ◽  
Rajesh Seth ◽  
Rajan Ray ◽  
Mohsan Beg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
North America ◽  
Residence Hall ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
Early Evidence ◽  
Health Response

Among early adopters of wastewater monitoring for SARS-CoV-2 have been colleges and universities throughout North America, many of whom are using this approach to monitor congregate living facilities for early evidence of COVID-19 infection as an integral component of campus screening programs. Yet, while there have been numerous examples where wastewater monitoring on a university campus has detected evidence for infection among community members, there are few examples where this monitoring triggered a public health response that may have averted an actual outbreak.

scholarly journals Training and Incorporating Students in SARS-CoV-2 Case Investigations and Contact Tracing

2020 ◽  
pp. 003335492097466
Author(s):  
Kristen Pogreba Brown ◽  
Erika Austhof ◽  
Ayeisha M. Rosa Hernández ◽  
Caitlyn McFadden ◽  
Kylie Boyd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
Data Quality Control ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Health Response

Objectives In June 2020, Arizona had the fastest-growing number of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide. As part of the growing public health response, the University of Arizona Student Aid for Field Epidemiology Response (SAFER) team was able to modify and increase case investigation efforts to assist local health departments. We outline the recommended logistical and management steps to include students in a public health response of this scope. Methods From April 1 through September 1, 2020, the SAFER team identified key components of a successful student team response: volunteer training, management that allows more senior students to manage newer students, adoption of case-management software, and use of an online survey platform for students to conduct interviews consistently and allow for data quality control and management. Results From April 1 through September 1, 2020, SAFER worked with 3 local health departments to complete 1910 COVID-19 case investigations through a virtual call center. A total of 233 volunteers and 46 hourly student workers and staff members were involved. As of September 2020, students were completing >150 interviews per week, including contact-tracing efforts. Practice Implications Developing relationships between applied public health and academic programs can relieve the burden of low-risk, high-volume case investigations at local and state health departments. Furthermore, by establishing a virtual call center, health sciences faculty and students can volunteer remotely during a pandemic with no additional risk of infection.

scholarly journals CDC Deployments to State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Health Departments for COVID-19 Emergency Public Health Response — United States, January 21–July 25, 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (39) ◽  
pp. 1398-1403
Author(s):  
Emilio Dirlikov ◽  
Ethan Fechter-Leggett ◽  
Stacy L. Thorne ◽  
Caitlin M. Worrell ◽  
Jennifer C. Smith-Grant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Health Response

scholarly journals Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak in a San Francisco Homeless Shelter

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Imbert ◽  
Patrick M Kinley ◽  
Ashley Scarborough ◽  
Caroline Cawley ◽  
Madeline Sankaran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Outbreak Response ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
The Public ◽  
Case Investigation ◽  
Symptom Screening ◽  
Health Response

Abstract We report the public health response to a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in a San Francisco shelter where 67% of residents and 17% of staff tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We describe the limited utility of case investigation, person-based contact tracing and symptom screening, and the benefits of mass testing in outbreak response.

scholarly journals Public Health Response Systems In-Action: Learning from Local Health Departments’ Experiences with Acute and Emergency Incidents

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. e79457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer C. Hunter ◽  
Jane E. Yang ◽  
Adam W. Crawley ◽  
Laura Biesiadecki ◽  
Tomás J. Aragón
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Response Systems

scholarly journals Lessons Learnt from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Starting Residency in a Foster Institution

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052110240
Author(s):  
Jiekai Tan ◽  
Lin Wee ◽  
Faith Li-Ann Chia ◽  
Wee Khoon Ng
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Outbreak Response ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Response Level ◽  
Emotional Challenges ◽  
The Public ◽  
Training Requirements ◽  
Lessons Learnt ◽  
Health Response

In Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) raised the public health response level from DORSCON (Disease Outbreak Response System Condition) ‘Yellow’ to ‘Orange’ on 7 February 2020. This instituted strict movement restrictions for all healthcare workers to minimise cross-institutional transmission of COVID-19, creating a unique scenario where many residents physically located in different healthcare institutions at the start of DORSCON Orange were unable to return to their matched Sponsoring Institutions (SIs) to begin residency training in July 2020. Residents faced multiple administrative and emotional challenges as a result of freezing of cross-institutional movement. These challenges included concerns with regards to meeting training requirements (due to different modes of assessment, and posting structures between the 3 SIs) and concerns with regards to emotional support (due to starting residency in an unfamiliar environment where the resident may have less pre-existing connections/support). These challenges were swiftly addressed by the strong support of foster and parent institutions, and close communication between the leadership of the 3 SIs. Lessons learnt from the current pandemic include the need for a common online platform across the 3 SIs with regards to assessment forms, importance of sharing teaching materials between the different SIs and the need for close collaboration between parent and foster SIs with regards to balancing training requirements versus the needs posed by a pandemic situation on the healthcare structure.

scholarly journals Public health response to a measles outbreak on a university campus in Australia, 2015

2018 ◽  
Vol 146 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-318
Author(s):  
J. Smith ◽  
S. Banu ◽  
M. Young ◽  
D. Francis ◽  
K. Langfeldt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Measles Outbreak ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Student Enrolment ◽  
The University ◽  
Effective Public Health

AbstractThis report describes the effective public health response to a measles outbreak involving a university campus in Brisbane, Australia. Eleven cases in total were notified, mostly university students. The public health response included targeted measles vaccination clinics which were established on campus and focused on student groups most likely to have been exposed. The size of the university population, social interaction between students on and off campus, as well as limited vaccination records for the university community presented challenges for the control of this extremely infectious illness. We recommend domestic students ensure vaccinations are current prior to matriculation. Immunisation information should be included in university student enrolment packs. Incoming international students should ensure routine vaccinations are up-to-date prior to arrival in Australia, thereby reducing the risk of importation of measles and other infectious diseases.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document