scholarly journals Integrating Advanced Molecular Technologies into Public Health

2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 703-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Gwinn ◽  
Duncan R. MacCannell ◽  
Rima F. Khabbaz

ABSTRACT Advances in laboratory and information technologies are transforming public health microbiology. High-throughput genome sequencing and bioinformatics are enhancing our ability to investigate and control outbreaks, detect emerging infectious diseases, develop vaccines, and combat antimicrobial resistance, all with increased accuracy, timeliness, and efficiency. The Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) initiative has allowed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide leadership and coordination in integrating new technologies into routine practice throughout the U.S. public health laboratory system. Collaboration and partnerships are the key to navigating this transition and to leveraging the next generation of methods and tools most effectively for public health.

Author(s):  
Michael Xiaoliang Tong ◽  
Alana Hansen ◽  
Scott Hanson-Easey ◽  
Jianjun Xiang ◽  
Scott Cameron ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundChina’s capacity to control and prevent emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases is critical to the nation’s population health. This study aimed to explore the capacity of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs) in China to deal with infectious diseases now and in the future.MethodsA survey was conducted in 2015 among 973 public health professionals at CDCs in Beijing and four provinces, to assess their capacity to deal with emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.ResultsAlthough most professionals were confident with the current capacity of CDCs to cope with outbreaks, nearly all indicated more funding was required to meet future challenges. Responses indicated that Yunnan Province faced more challenges than Anhui, Henan and Liaoning Provinces in being completely prepared and able to deal with outbreaks. Participants aged 20–39 years were more likely than those aged 40 and over to believe strategies such as interdisciplinary and international collaborations for disease surveillance and control, would assist capacity building.ConclusionThe capacity of China’s CDCs to deal with infectious diseases was excellent. However, findings suggest it is imperative to increase the number of skilled CDC staff, financial support, and strengthen county level staff training and health education programs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher H. Arehart ◽  
Michael Z. David ◽  
Vanja Dukic

AbstractThe Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document a raw proxy for counts of pertussis cases in the U.S., and the Project Tycho (PT) database provides an improved source of these weekly data. These data are limited because of reporting delays, variation in state-level surveillance practices, and changes over time in diagnosis methods. We aim to assess whether Google Trends (GT) search data track pertussis incidence relative to PT data and if sociodemographic characteristics explain some variation in the accuracy of state-level models. GT and PT data were used to construct auto-correlation corrected linear models for pertussis incidence in 2004–2011 for the entire U.S. and each individual state. The national model resulted in a moderate correlation (adjusted R2 = 0.2369, p < 0.05), and state models tracked PT data for some but not all states. Sociodemographic variables explained approximately 30% of the variation in performance of individual state-level models. The significant correlation between GT models and public health data suggests that GT is a potentially useful pertussis surveillance tool. However, the variable accuracy of this tool by state suggests GT surveillance cannot be applied in a uniform manner across geographic sub-regions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Alejandro De Jesús Cortés-Sánchez ◽  
Luis Daniel Espinosa-Chaurand ◽  
Mayra Díaz-Ramirez ◽  
Erika Torres-Ochoa

Fish and fish products are considered a fundamental part of the human diet due to their high nutritional value. Food-borne diseases are considered a major public health challenge worldwide due to their incidence, associated mortality, and negative economic repercussions. Food safety is the guarantee that foods will not cause harm to the health of those who consume them, and it is a fundamental property of food quality. Food safety can be at risk of being lost at any stage of the food chain if the food is contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms. Many diverse bacteria are present in the environment and as part of the microbiota of food that can be transmitted to humans during the handling and consumption of food. Plesiomonas shigelloides has been mainly associated with outbreaks of gastrointestinal diseases due to the consumption of fish. This bacterium inhabits the environment and aquatic animals and is associated with the microbiota of fish such as tilapia, a fish of importance in fishing, aquaculture, commercialization, and consumption worldwide. The purpose of this document is to provide, through a bibliographic review of databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, among others), a general informative perspective on food-borne diseases and, in particular, the consumption of fish and tilapia. Diseases derived from contamination by Plesiomonas shigelloides are included, and control and prevention actions and sanitary regulations for fishery products established in several countries around the world are discussed to promote the safety of foods of aquatic origin intended for human consumption and to protect public health.


1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (08) ◽  
pp. 494-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Chamberland

IntroductionSince blood is a biological product, it is a natural vehicle for transmission of infectious agents, and until an artificial blood substitute is developed, the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections will probably not be eliminated. Three agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services–the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and National Institutes of Health (NIH)–have collaborated with partners in local and state public health departments, academia, industry, and consumers to develop prevention strategies addressing emerging infectious disease threats to public health, including the safety of the U.S. blood supply. Four critical components of these prevention strategies are as follows: surveillance and response capabilities; integration of laboratory science and epidemiology (i.e., “applied research”) to optimize public health practice; prevention and control activities to enhance communication of public health information; and a strengthening of local, state, and federal infrastructures to support these activities.1 As highlighted by the Institute of Medicine, in its series of reports about the ongoing threat to health posed by emerging infectious diseases, surveillance is the critical lynchpin for the public health response to both known and unrecognized pathogenic threats.2 Surveillance data can be used to monitor and track temporal and demographic trends of disease, alert us to outbreaks or unexpected alterations in disease frequency or affected populations, serve as a basis for subsequent epidemiologic and laboratory investigations to describe the natural history of a disease or identify risk factors for its occurrence, and evaluate intervention strategies.2,3 This paper will review programs of surveillance in the U.S. to detect established and emerging infectious risks, with an emphasis on those that address blood safety. In addition, recent examples or case studies that illustrate the responsiveness of U.S. surveillance systems to blood safety issues will be presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Habib Benzian ◽  
Marilyn Johnston ◽  
Nicole Stauf ◽  
Richard Niederman

Credible, reliable and consistent information to the public, as well as health professionals and decision makers, is crucial to help navigate uncertainty and risk in times of crisis and concern. Traditionally, information and health communications issued by respected and established government agencies have been regarded as factual, unbiased and credible. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is such an agency that addresses all aspects of health and public health on behalf of the U.S Government for the benefit of its citizens. In July 2020, the CDC issued guidelines on reopening schools which resulted in open criticism by the U.S. President and others, prompting a review and publication of revised guidelines together with a special “Statement on the Importance of Reopening Schools under COVID-19.” We hypothesize that this statement introduced bias with the intention to shift the public perception and media narrative in favor of reopening of schools. Using a mixed methods approach, including an online text analysis tool, we demonstrate that document title and structure, word frequencies, word choice, and website presentation did not provide a balanced account of the complexity and uncertainty surrounding school reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite available scientific guidance and practical evidence-based advice on how to manage infection risks when reopening schools, the CDC Statement was intentionally overriding possible parent and public health concerns. The CDC Statement provides an example of how political influence is exercised over the presentation of science in the context of a major pandemic. It was withdrawn by the CDC in November 2020.


2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
pp. 592-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather A. Joseph ◽  
Abbey E. Wojno ◽  
Kelly Winter ◽  
Onalee Grady-Erickson ◽  
Erin Hawes ◽  
...  

The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa influenced how public health officials considered migration and emerging infectious diseases. Responding to the public’s concerns, the US government introduced enhanced entry screening and post-arrival monitoring by public health authorities to reduce the risk of importation and domestic transmission of Ebola while continuing to allow travel from West Africa. This case study describes a new initiative, the Check and Report Ebola (CARE+) program that engaged travelers arriving to the United States from countries with Ebola outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employed CARE ambassadors, who quickly communicated with incoming travelers and gave them practical resources to boost their participation in monitoring for Ebola. The program aimed to increase travelers’ knowledge of Ebola symptoms and how to seek medical care safely, increase travelers’ awareness of monitoring requirements, reduce barriers to monitoring, and increase trust in the US public health system. This program could be adapted for use in future outbreaks that involve the potential importation of disease and require the education and active engagement of travelers to participate in post-arrival monitoring.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1971 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 637-641

Course on Tuberculosis: A course on Tuberculosis Today will be offered six times during 1971 by the U.S. Public Health Services Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia. The course is intended for health workers who are responsible for the management and control of tuberculosis, and for those responsible for providing teaching or training in the fields of tuberculosis or infectious disease. No fees are charged for these courses. Application forms can be obtained from State Health Departments, HEW Regional Offices, or the Tuberculosis Branch, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1951 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 142-144
Author(s):  
JOHN A. BIGLER

Symposia on oral health in children have been all too few on pediatric programs. Although there have been numerous articles in the dental and public health journals, comparatively few have appeared in pediatric and other medical literature. When one considers that children are particularly vulnerable to dental caries and it is estimated that 92% of the population have some dental problems, the importance of this subject becomes evident. There are not enough dentists in this country to take care of the problems. For this reason, prevention and control of dental caries becomes the responsibility of the physician as well as the dentist. It becomes even more an obligation than a responsibility because we as pediatricians assume care that makes for total child health. With this in mind the pediatrician must keep abreast of the theories of dental caries initiation, its control and prevention. He should also recognize when children are getting proper dental care.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document