Progress in robotics for combating infectious diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (52) ◽  
pp. eabf1462
Author(s):  
Anzhu Gao ◽  
Robin R. Murphy ◽  
Weidong Chen ◽  
Giulio Dagnino ◽  
Peer Fischer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Disease Prevention ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Laboratory Automation ◽  
The World ◽  
Robotic Technologies

The world was unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, and recovery is likely to be a long process. Robots have long been heralded to take on dangerous, dull, and dirty jobs, often in environments that are unsuitable for humans. Could robots be used to fight future pandemics? We review the fundamental requirements for robotics for infectious disease management and outline how robotic technologies can be used in different scenarios, including disease prevention and monitoring, clinical care, laboratory automation, logistics, and maintenance of socioeconomic activities. We also address some of the open challenges for developing advanced robots that are application oriented, reliable, safe, and rapidly deployable when needed. Last, we look at the ethical use of robots and call for globally sustained efforts in order for robots to be ready for future outbreaks.

The challenge of infection control in patients' homes

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 168-174
Author(s):  
Drew Payne ◽  
Martin Peache
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Cross Infection ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Unique Challenge ◽  
Clinical Equipment

Infection control is the responsibility of all nurses, but, traditionally, it has been seen as a priority only in hospitals. Infection control does not stop when a patient is discharged home, but should be practiced wherever clinical care takes place. Community nurses face a unique challenge as they work in patients' homes, and they must manage infection control in that unique environment. This article looks at practical ways to maintain infection control in patients' homes. It covers hand hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE), including the five moments of hand hygiene, appropriate hand hygiene, the use of all PPE and when gloves are required and when they are not. It also discusses managing clinical equipment, both that taken into the home and that left with a patient, including decontamination, safe storage of sharps and waste management. It touches upon what can be done in a patient's home to reduce the risk of contamination, as well as infectious disease management, including specimens and wound infection management. Lastly, it talks about cross-infection and why staff health is also important.

8. Looking ahead

2015 ◽  
pp. 97-106
Author(s):  
Marta L. Wayne ◽  
Benjamin M. Bolker
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Ecology ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Zoonotic Diseases ◽  
Transmission Control ◽  
Living Things ◽  
Life Itself ◽  
The Impact

‘Looking ahead’ shows how our understanding of disease ecology and evolution has revolutionized disease management. By developing transmission control strategies to close the encounter filter and vaccines and treatments to close the compatibility filter, we have reduced the misery caused by infectious disease. But what is the outlook for the future control of infectious diseases? We cannot eradicate infectious disease. Living things have parasitized one another since the beginning of life itself. New zoonotic diseases will continue to emerge, and existing diseases will continually evolve to escape our methods of control. Despite this stark reality, we can minimize the impact of disease even if we can never fully conquer it.

scholarly journals Qualitative Research: Institutional Preparedness During Threats of Infectious Disease Outbreaks

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doret de Rooij ◽  
Evelien Belfroid ◽  
Renske Eilers ◽  
Dorothee Roßkamp ◽  
Corien Swaan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
High Resource ◽  
The World ◽  
Centralized Care

Background. As demonstrated during the global Ebola crisis of 2014–2016, healthcare institutions in high resource settings need support concerning preparedness during threats of infectious disease outbreaks. This study aimed to exploratively develop a standardized preparedness system to use during unfolding threats of severe infectious diseases. Methods. A qualitative three-step study among infectious disease prevention and control experts was performed. First, interviews (n=5) were conducted to identify which factors trigger preparedness activities during an unfolding threat. Second, these triggers informed the design of a phased preparedness system which was tested in a focus group discussion (n=11). Here preparedness activities per phase and per healthcare institution were identified. Third, the preparedness system was completed and verified in individual interviews (n=3). Interviews and the focus group were recorded, transcribed, and coded for emerging themes by two researchers independently. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Results. Four preparedness phases were identified: preparedness phase green is a situation without the presence of the infectious disease threat that requires centralized care, anywhere in the world. Phase yellow is an outbreak in the world with some likelihood of imported cases. Phase orange is a realistic chance of an unexpected case within the country, or unrest developing among population or staff; phase red is cases admitted to hospitals in the country, potentially causing a shortage of resources. Specific preparedness activities included infection prevention, diagnostics, patient care, staff, and communication. Consensus was reached on the need for the development of a preparedness system and national coordination during threats. Conclusions. In this study, we developed a standardized system to support institutional preparedness during an increasing threat. Use of this system by both curative healthcare institutions and the (municipal) public health service, could help to effectively communicate and align preparedness activities during future threats of severe infectious diseases.

scholarly journals SARS: Political Pathology of the First Post-Westphalian Pathogen

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Fidler
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Century ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Security ◽  
The World ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Health Organization

In March 2003, the world discovered, again, that I humanity's battle with infectious diseases continues. The twenty-first century began with infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, being discussed as threats to human rights, economic development, and national security. Bioterrorism in the United States in October 2001 increased concerns about pathogenic microbes. The global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the spring of 2003 kept the global infectious disease challenge at the forefront of world news for weeks. At its May 2003 annual meeting, the World Health organization (WHO) asserted that SARS is “the first severe infectious disease to emerge in the twenty-first century” and “poses a serious threat to global health security, the livelihood of populations, the functioning of health systems, and the stability and growth of economies.”

scholarly journals Portable sequencer in the fight against infectious disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Elia Mongan ◽  
Josef Sem Berth Tuda ◽  
Lucky Ronald Runtuwene
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Nucleic Acid ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Acid Composition ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
The World ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Abstract Infectious disease is still a major threat in the world today. Five decades ago, it was considered soon to be eradicated, but the adaptation of pathogens to environmental pressure, such as antimicrobials, encouraged the emergence and reemergence of infectious disease. The fight with infectious disease starts with prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Diagnosis can be upheld by observing the cause of disease under the microscope or detecting the presence of nucleic acid and proteins of the pathogens. The molecular techniques span from classical polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to sequencing the nucleic acid composition. Here, we are reviewing the works have been undertaken to utilize a portable sequencer, MinION, in various aspects of infectious disease management.

scholarly journals FAKTOR FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI KEJADIAN TB PARU DAN UPAYA PENANGGULANGANNYA

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edza Aria Wikurendra
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Pulmonary Tuberculosis ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Pulmonary Tb ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
The World ◽  
Success Of Treatment ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Made In

Tuberculosis is still the main infectious disease in the world and is increasingly becoming a concern with the presence of HIV / AIDS. In the Ministry of Health's Strategic Plan for 2015-2019, infectious diseases are one of the main priorities that must be addressed to realize a Healthy Indonesia. The number of cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in Indonesia is reported to be 130 / 100,000, every year there are 539,000 new cases and the number of deaths is around 101,000 per year, the incidence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis cases is about 110 / 100,000 people. This paper aims to reveal the problem of influential factors and efforts that must be made in controlling pulmonary TB disease. This paper is made by tracing research reports / articles related to the incidence of pulmonary TB. And then a selection of the collected reports is carried out, so that 20 selected journals / articles can be reviewed. From selected reports, determined aspects that indicate the factors that caused the incidence of pulmonary TB and TB prevention efforts were carried out. Various efforts have been made through various approaches to treat or at least reduce the incidence of TB. Such as network model strategy programs and others are expected to provide healing and prevent transmission. But in the implementation in the field, the success of treatment and prevention with this strategy experienced several obstacles that did not provide maximum results.

scholarly journals Vaccines and Antibodies: Weapons in the Fight Against Ebola Virus

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrice Debré ◽  
Marie Neunez ◽  
Michel Goldman
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
World Today ◽  
The World ◽  
Stimulation Of

Ebola virus disease is one of the deadliest infections in the world today. The microbe to blame is the Ebola virus. It has already caused numerous outbreaks in Africa, in the regions located south of the Sahara. This article describes the main characteristics of this infectious disease as well as the currently available treatments, namely vaccines and antibodies. Antibodies are produced by the human body when it is infected by a microbe. Antibodies can be collected from the blood of infected humans or animals and purified or manufactured in a laboratory to produce drugs. While vaccines have demonstrated their effectiveness in preventing infectious diseases, antibodies are effective in stopping the progression of several infectious diseases. In this article, you will discover that the stimulation of the immune system, either by the vaccine or by antibodies, is essential to tackle Ebola virus disease.

scholarly journals The role of vaccination in global health

2014 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-19
Author(s):  
Keegan Guidolin ◽  
Gaby Meglei
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Preventable Death ◽  
Eradication Program ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future

Perhaps the greatest medical advancement in history was the development of the vaccine. While previously helpless to stop the spread of deadly infectious diseases, humanity has since harnessed the power of vaccination and decreased the incidence of infectious disease across the globe. Smallpox was the first disease to be eradicated—the greatest of our triumphs. This success was due to the global coordinated effort of the Intensified Smallpox Eradication Program. Presently, measles is the top cause of vaccine-preventable death in the world, and despite enormous vaccination efforts, eradication is still distant. This is due in part to the antivaccination movement, which was fueled by an article by Wakefield, published in the Lancet in 1998. The future of vaccination is an ambitious and unclear one—with tremendous financial support and involvement, the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) aims to eliminate vaccine preventable illness within what they call the “Decade of Vaccines”.

scholarly journals COVID-19 screening center models in South Korea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Eon Kim ◽  
Ji Ho Lee ◽  
Hocheol Lee ◽  
Seok Jun Moon ◽  
Eun Woo Nam
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Role Model ◽  
High Population Density ◽  
Adequate Model ◽  
The World ◽  
Imported Cases ◽  
Community Transmission

Abstract In a recent report, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) introduced South Korea’s measures to manage COVID-19 as role model for the world. Screening centers serve as frontiers for preventing community transmission of infectious diseases. COVID-19 screening centers in Korea operate 24 h a day, always open for individuals with suspected COVID-19 symptoms. South Korea concentrated COVID-19 screening centers around cities with high population density. Advanced screening centers (models C, D, and E) proved more effective and efficient in the prevention of COVID-19 than the traditional screening centers (models A and B). Particularly, screening centers at Incheon Airport in South Korea prevent transmission through imported cases effectively. It will be important elsewhere, as in South Korea, to establish an infectious disease delivery system that can lead to 'Test-Treat-Track' using an adequate model of screening centers.

Mobile Technology Support for the Assessment and Management of COVID-19 Outbreak

2021 ◽  
pp. 13-24
Author(s):  
Chinazunwa Uwaoma ◽  
Clement C. Aladi
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Technology Support ◽  
The World ◽  
Obvious Reason ◽  
Entire World

The early months in 2020 saw a rapid increase in the adoption of mHealth and telehealth across the globe. The obvious reason being the sudden outbreak of coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19), which sent the entire world scrambling for solutions to contain and mitigate the spread. Ordinarily, telehealth and mHealth are considered optional in most traditional healthcare systems even in developed countries, but today, these technologies have become the most sought-after tools required to augment the overwhelmed healthcare systems orchestrated by COVID-19. Mobile technology in particular has continued to play important roles in the monitoring, surveillance, and the assessment of the outbreak in so many ways. This chapter offers a window into different ways mHealth and telemedicine are used to provide healthcare services and disease management, as well as the challenges in the implementation of these technologies as the world braces for the devastating effects of COVID-19.

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