scholarly journals Molecular Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Greece Reveals Low Rates of Onward Virus Transmission after Lifting of Travel Restrictions Based on Risk Assessment during Summer 2020

mSphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelia Georgia Kostaki ◽  
Georgios A. Pavlopoulos ◽  
Kleio-Maria Verrou ◽  
Giannis Ampatziadis-Michailidis ◽  
Vaggelis Harokopos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Molecular Epidemiology ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Current State ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Imported Cases ◽  
Virus Screening

Our study based on current state-of-the-art molecular epidemiology methods suggests that virus screening and public health measures after the lifting of travel restrictions prevented SARS-CoV-2 onward transmission from imported cases during summer 2020 in Greece. These findings provide important data on the efficacy of targeted public health measures and have important implications regarding the safety of international travel during a pandemic.

scholarly journals Molecular epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Greece reveals low rates of onward virus transmission after lifting of travel restrictions based on risk assessment during summer 2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelia Georgia Kostaki ◽  
Georgios A. Pavlopoulos ◽  
Kleio-Maria Verrou ◽  
Giannis Ampatziadis-Michailidis ◽  
Vaggelis Harokopos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Molecular Epidemiology ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
The Impact

AbstractMolecular epidemiology has provided an additive value to traditional public health tools by identifying SARS-CoV-2 clusters, or providing evidence that clusters based on virus sequences and contact tracing are highly concordant. Our aim was to infer the levels of virus importation and to estimate the impact of public health measures related to travel restrictions to local transmission in Greece. Our phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses included 389 SARS-CoV-2 sequences collected during the first 7 months of the pandemic in Greece and a random collection in 5 replicates of 3,000 sequences sampled globally, as well as the best hits to our dataset identified by BLAST. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the presence of 70 genetically distinct viruses identified as independent introductions into Greece. The proportion of imported strains was 41%, 11.5%, and 8.8% during the three periods of sampling, namely, March (no travel restrictions), April to June (strict travel restrictions), and July to September (lifting of travel restrictions based on a thorough risk assessment), respectively. These findings reveal low levels of onward transmission from imported cases during summer and underscore the importance of targeted public health measures that can increase the safety of international travel during a pandemic.

scholarly journals Burundi’s ‘Worst Enemy’: the Country’s Fight Against COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emery Manirambona ◽  
Henna Reddy ◽  
Emmanuel Uwiringiyimana ◽  
Theogene Uwizeyimana ◽  
Archith Kamath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Initial Response ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Mass Gatherings ◽  
Adverse Health Outcomes ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Precautionary Measures

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has proved to be a severe global public health threat, causing high infection rates and mortality worldwide. Burundi was not spared the adverse health outcomes of COVID-19. Although Burundi’s initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic was criticized, hope arose in June 2020 when the new government instituted a plan to slow virus transmission that included public health campaigns, international travel restrictions, and mass testing, all of which proved effective. Burundi has faced many challenges in containing the virus, the first of which was the lack of initial preparedness and appropriate response to COVID-19. This was exacerbated by factors including shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), limited numbers of life-saving ventilators (around 12 ventilators as of April 2020), and the presence of only one COVID-19 testing center with less than ten technicians in July 2020. Moreover, as Burundi is amongst the poorest countries in the world, some citizens were unable to access necessities such as water and soap, required for compliance with government recommendations regarding hygiene. Interestingly, Burundi did not implement a nationwide lockdown, allowing mass gatherings and public services to continue as usual due to a firm belief in God’s protection. As the daily confirmed cases have tripled since December 2020, Burundi must prepare itself for the threat of a new wave. Establishing precautionary measures to contain the virus and strengthening the health surveillance system in Burundi would significantly positively impact the prevention and management of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Notifiable diseases after implementation of COVID-19 public health prevention measures in Central Queensland, Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Odewumi Adegbija ◽  
Jacina Walker ◽  
Nicholas Smoll ◽  
Arifuzzaman Khan ◽  
Julieanne Graham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Vaccine Preventable Diseases ◽  
Notifiable Diseases ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Travel Restrictions

The implementation of public health measures to control the current COVID-19 pandemic (such as wider lockdowns, overseas travel restrictions and physical distancing) is likely to have affected the spread of other notifiable diseases. This is a descriptive report of communicable disease surveillance in Central Queensland (CQ) for six months (1 April to 30 September 2020) after the introduction of physical distancing and wider lockdown measures in Queensland. The counts of notifiable communicable diseases in CQ in the six months were observed and compared with the average for the same months during the years 2015 to 2019. During the study’s six months, there were notable decreases in notifications of most vaccine-preventable diseases such as influenza, pertussis and rotavirus. Conversely, notifications increased for disease groups such as blood-borne viruses, sexually transmitted infections and vector-borne diseases. There were no reported notifications for dengue fever and malaria which are mostly overseas acquired. The notifications of some communicable diseases in CQ were variably affected and the changes correlated with the implementation of the COVID-19 public health measures.

scholarly journals The effect of COVID-19 public health measures on nationally notifiable diseases in Australia: preliminary analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Bright ◽  
Anna-Jane Glynn-Robinson ◽  
Stacey Kane ◽  
Rose Wright ◽  
Nathan Saul
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Preliminary Analysis ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Income Loss ◽  
Notifiable Diseases ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Healthcare It ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Financial Impacts

Since the introduction of COVID-19-related public health measures, notifications for most nationally notifiable diseases have declined when compared to previous years. Physical distancing, travel restrictions, and emphasis on hygiene are likely to have affected the number of expected notifications, with the greatest reductions observed among disease spread via person-to-person contact such as influenza, and among overseas-acquired infections such as dengue virus and measles. However, quantifying the magnitude of the effect of COVID-19 public health measures on communicable diseases in Australia will be difficult, due to confounding factors such as: changes in testing priorities in laboratories; diversion of resources to the COVID-19 response; changes in health-seeking behaviours; greater utilisation of telehealth practices; and financial impacts such as income loss and ability to afford healthcare. It is considered likely that these other factors will have also impacted notification numbers.

scholarly journals Immunity passports to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic: controversies and public health risks

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chee H Liew ◽  
Gerard T Flaherty
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Antibody Production ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Future Role ◽  
Public Health Risks ◽  
Serologic Tests ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Multiple Challenges

Abstract As countries emerge from pandemic lockdown, many countries are relaxing international travel restrictions. Commercially available serologic tests for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are being performed. The concept of an ‘immunity passport’ has gained popularity, whereby evidence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody production would signal immunity to reinfection. For an immunity certificate to be validated for travel purposes, it should meet certain criteria. The introduction of such certificates faces multiple challenges. While there may be a future role for immunity passports in limited circumstances in the event that a protective vaccine becomes freely available, for now at least the risks of such an approach outweigh the perceived benefits.

scholarly journals Current Review of Delta Variant of SARS-CoV-2

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 23-29
Author(s):  
Selia Chowdhury ◽  
Mehedi Hasan Bappy ◽  
Samia Chowdhury ◽  
Md. Shahraj Chowdhury ◽  
Nurjahan Shipa Chowdhury
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Current State ◽  
Current Review ◽  
Associated Symptoms ◽  
Capability Of Detection

Mutations are causing SARS-CoV-2 to alter its genetic structure to improve its potential to elude the immune system, making vaccine buildout against the virus more difficult. Multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants have been found up to this point; based on their impact on public health some are considered variants of concern (VOCs) and some are considered variants of interests. VOCs are linked to superior transmissibility, a decline in neutralization by natural or vaccine induced antibodies, evading capability of detection, and a reduction in the efficacy of vaccines or therapeutics. In this article, a SARS-CoV-2 subtype, known as Delta, has been revised to provide the current state of the art and an appropriate foundation for future research works. The evolution, pathogenesis, current trends of transmission, associated symptoms, suggested prevention and treatments, and vaccine efficacy of Delta variant are reviewed and discussed.

scholarly journals Ensuring Confidentiality of Geocoded Health Data: Assessing Geographic Masking Strategies for Individual-Level Data

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Zandbergen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Recent Progress ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Random Perturbation ◽  
Health Data ◽  
The Other ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Current State ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Geocoded Data

Public health datasets increasingly use geographic identifiers such as an individual’s address. Geocoding these addresses often provides new insights since it becomes possible to examine spatial patterns and associations. Address information is typically considered confidential and is therefore not released or shared with others. Publishing maps with the locations of individuals, however, may also breach confidentiality since addresses and associated identities can be discovered through reverse geocoding. One commonly used technique to protect confidentiality when releasing individual-level geocoded data is geographic masking. This typically consists of applying a certain amount of random perturbation in a systematic manner to reduce the risk of reidentification. A number of geographic masking techniques have been developed as well as methods to quantity the risk of reidentification associated with a particular masking method. This paper presents a review of the current state-of-the-art in geographic masking, summarizing the various methods and their strengths and weaknesses. Despite recent progress, no universally accepted or endorsed geographic masking technique has emerged. Researchers on the other hand are publishing maps using geographic masking of confidential locations. Any researcher publishing such maps is advised to become familiar with the different masking techniques available and their associated reidentification risks.

scholarly journals The effect of travel restrictions on the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Chinazzi ◽  
Jessica T. Davis ◽  
Marco Ajelli ◽  
Corrado Gioannini ◽  
Maria Litvinova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Imported Cases ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Disease Transmission Model ◽  
The Impact

AbstractMotivated by the rapid spread of a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Mainland China, we use a global metapopulation disease transmission model to project the impact of both domestic and international travel limitations on the national and international spread of the epidemic. The model is calibrated on the evidence of internationally imported cases before the implementation of the travel quarantine of Wuhan. By assuming a generation time of 7.5 days, the reproduction number is estimated to be 2.4 [90% CI 2.2-2.6]. The median estimate for number of cases before the travel ban implementation on January 23, 2020 is 58,956 [90% CI 40,759 - 87,471] in Wuhan and 3,491 [90% CI 1,924 - 7,360] in other locations in Mainland China. The model shows that as of January 23, most Chinese cities had already received a considerable number of infected cases, and the travel quarantine delays the overall epidemic progression by only 3 to 5 days. The travel quarantine has a more marked effect at the international scale, where we estimate the number of case importations to be reduced by 80% until the end of February. Modeling results also indicate that sustained 90% travel restrictions to and from Mainland China only modestly affect the epidemic trajectory unless combined with a 50% or higher reduction of transmission in the community.

scholarly journals The effect of international travel restrictions on internal spread of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy W. Russell ◽  
Joesph Wu ◽  
Samuel Clifford ◽  
John Edmunds ◽  
Adam J Kucharski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Credible Interval ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Epidemic Dynamics ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Total Incidence ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Imported Cases ◽  
Asymptomatic Infections ◽  
Local Transmission

Background: Countries have restricted international arrivals to delay the spread of COVID-19. These measures carry a high economic and social cost. They may have little impact on COVID-19 epidemics if there are many more cases resulting from local transmission compared to imported cases. Methods: To inform decisions about international travel restrictions, we compared the ratio of expected COVID-19 cases from international travel (assuming no travel restrictions) to the expected COVID-19 cases arising from internal spread on an average day in May 2020 in each country. COVID-19 prevalence and incidence were estimated using a modelling framework that adjusts reported cases for under-ascertainment and asymptomatic infections. Findings: With May 2019 travel volumes, imported cases account for <10% of total incidence in 103 (95% credible interval: 76 - 130) out of 142 countries, and <1% in 48 (95% CrI: 9 - 95). If we assume that travel would decrease compared to May 2019 even in the absence of formal restrictions, then imported cases account for <10% of total incidence in 109-123 countries and <1% in 61-88 countries (depending on the assumptions about travel reductions). Interpretation: While countries can expect infected travellers to arrive in the absence of travel restrictions, in most countries these imported cases likely contribute little to local COVID-19 epidemics. Stringent travel restrictions may have limited impact on epidemic dynamics except in countries with low COVID-19 incidence and large numbers of arrivals from other countries.

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