ROLE OF MEDIA COVERAGE IN MITIGATING AN EPIDEMIC OUTBREAK: AN OPTIMAL CONTROL MODEL

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
ANSHIKA KAPOOR ◽  
ANIRUDDHA DEKA ◽  
SAMIT BHATTACHARYYA
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Optimal Control ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Public Health Department ◽  
Total Cost ◽  
Functional Relationships ◽  
The Cost

Flu is an acute respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus. The outbreak usually occurs every year in temperate region during the fall and winter seasons, but it is present year-round in tropics. Perceived risk of infection, affordability and lack of awareness among the population results in a low level of vaccination coverage. To control disease transmission and promote vaccination, public health officials use media coverage to spread awareness on vaccine safety, vaccine coverage, disease prevalence in the population through public health websites, advertisements, and other social media web pages. Media coverage acts as an incentive as it helps to decrease overall transmission potential and also at the same time increases the vaccination coverage in the population. Since the public health department has a limited budget, it needs to make optimum allocation of its effort to reduce the total cost of infection. Our paper investigates the effect of media coverage using SIR model of disease transmission. We look at three possible functional relationships — linear, exponential, and hyperbolic — the way media coverage may affect the disease transmission and vaccination rate. We derive necessary conditions of optimal solution using Optimal Control Theory and Pontryagin Maximum Principle (PMP) to minimize the total cost for infection. Analysis of our paper demonstrates that the cost of optimal management is four times less than the cost of constant control effort, and putting more effort into reducing transmission is optimal rather than an effort to increase vaccination at the beginning of the outbreak. Analysis of the role of media coverage under three different scenarios may help in formulating policies for public health programs in mitigating the influenza outbreak.

Locking down behavioural compliance: The role of emotion and emotion regulation in breaches of COVID-19 mitigation measures in Aotearoa New Zealand

2021 ◽  
pp. 135910532110299
Author(s):  
Terise Broodryk ◽  
Kealagh Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
High Knowledge ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Insight Into

Although anxiety and worry can motivate engagement with COVID-19 preventative behaviours, people may cognitively reframe these unpleasant emotions, restoring wellbeing at the cost of public health behaviours. New Zealand young adults ( n = 278) experiencing nationwide COVID-19 lockdown reported their worry, anxiety, reappraisal and lockdown compliance. Despite high knowledge of lockdown policies, 92.5% of participants reported one or more policy breaches ( M  = 2.74, SD = 1.86). Counter to predictions, no relationships were found between anxiety or worry with reappraisal or lockdown breaches. Findings highlight the importance of targeting young adults in promoting lockdown compliance and offer further insight into the role of emotion during a pandemic.

Investing in Health Wisely: The Role of Needs-based Technology Assessment

1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 673-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean T. Jamison ◽  
Helen Saxenian ◽  
Yves Bergevin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Technology Assessment ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Disability Adjusted Life ◽  
Life Years ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Improve Health

AbstractCountries worldwide spend huge sums on health—about $1,700 billion a year, or roughly 8% of global income. But the World Development Report 1993: Investing in Health shows that these monies could be spent much more wisely, in the process doing a great deal to help the world's 1 billion poor. Essential national public health and clinical packages are proposed based on assessment of the burden of disease (measured in disability adjusted life years) and the cost-effectiveness of interventions. Governments can play a central role in improving the health of their citizens: they can foster an environment that enables households to improve health and they can also improve their own spending on health, targeting it to support universal access to essential national public health and clinical packages based on the above methods. This is a good example of the concept of needs-based technology assessment, combining the disciplines of epidemiology, economics, and policy formulation. When applied, it should lead to improved effectiveness, efficiency, and equity.

Social Networks

Urban Health ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 248-255
Author(s):  
Abby E. Rudolph
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Ample Evidence ◽  
Risk Of Disease ◽  
Barriers To Health ◽  
Distinguishing Features

One of the distinguishing features of urban environments is the close proximity of their residents. There is ample evidence that our social networks influence how we think, feel, and behave and, through doing so, shape our health. Therefore, the challenge and opportunity for urban areas is how to foster social relationships and interactions that promote healthier behaviors, reduce the risk of disease transmission, and remove or serve as buffers against existing barriers to health service utilization. This chapter provides a theoretical framework for thinking about the role of social networks in public health and provides two examples how social network analysis has been used to better understand two major public health concerns in urban settings.

The Role of Institutional and State Aid Policies in Average Student Debt

2014 ◽  
Vol 655 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Monks
Keyword(s):  
Financial Aid ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
State Aid ◽  
Student Debt ◽  
Student Aid ◽  
Financial Aid Policy ◽  
Average Student ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Debt Levels

Rising college student debt levels have received considerable media coverage and have even prompted policy proposals that link rising student debt with tuition inflation. This article examines the role of state aid policies coupled with tuition and financial aid policy and academic outcomes in determining variation in average student debt. A focus solely on tuition as the culprit in rising student debt misses the significant role that state and institutional financial aid policies and student outcomes play in determining debt levels across higher education institutions. Specifically, colleges and universities being need-blind in admissions, meeting-full-need, limiting loans, and graduating students in high paying majors can have a larger impact on student debt levels than can the cost of attendance. Similarly, higher state-provided student aid significantly lowers average student debt at public universities.

Conceptualizing the Cost of COVID Policy: The Role of Institutional Trade-Offs

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Geloso
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Economic History ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Short Article ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Institutional Trade ◽  
The Cost

Abstract In this short article, I summarize recent research in economic history that suggests long-run institutional trade-offs in public health that affect both health and economic outcomes. These trade-offs suggest that a long timespan is necessary to fully measure the consequences of heavy-handed public health interventions. This timespan means that those who have declared “victory” or “defeat” in the wake of COVID policy are premature. Modesty in terms of policy evaluation and prescription is still warranted.

scholarly journals Dynamic Optimization Technique for Distribution of Goods with Stochastic Shortages

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Charles I. Nkeki
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Control ◽  
Dynamic Optimization ◽  
Error Bounds ◽  
Optimization Technique ◽  
Transportation Cost ◽  
Maximum Error ◽  
Expected Cost ◽  
Total Cost ◽  
The Cost ◽  
In Transit

This work considers the distribution of goods with stochastic shortages from factories to stores. It is assumed that in the process of shipping the goods to various stores, some proportion of the goods will be damaged (which will lead to shortage of goods in transit). The cost of the damaged goods is added to the cost of the shipment. A proportion of the total expected cost of the shortage goods is assumed to be recovered and should be deducted from the total cost of the shipment. In order to determine the minimum transportation costs for the operation, we adopt dynamic optimization principles. The optimal transportation cost and optimal control policies of shipping the goods from factories to stores were obtained. We find that the optimal costs of the goods recovered could be determined. It was further found that the optimum costs of distributing the goods with minimum and maximum error bounds coincide only at infinity.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Contact Tracing in an Overseas U.S. Military Population

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia S Sikorski ◽  
Misty D Scheel ◽  
Stephanie M Harris ◽  
Julia A Nefczyk
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Public Health Department ◽  
Site Testing ◽  
Medical Provider ◽  
Military Population

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to describe the early epidemiology and contact tracing challenges for Covid-19 infection in an overseas military and DoD population. From February 28, 2020 to April 27, 2020, patients who were diagnosed with Covid-19 infection completed a Centers for Disease Control Persons Under Investigation (PUI) form during their encounter with a medical provider. Positive results were forwarded to the Public Health Department. The results of the contact tracing and PUI form were entered into a database and analyzed. Eight Covid-19 cases were diagnosed in this overseas population. Based on beneficiary population, the cumulative incidence was ∼80/100,000 persons. The age distribution ranged from 25 to 60 years, median 36 years. Most patients were male (75%). More infection occurred in those living off base in the community (87.5%). With the capability of on-site testing at the hospital, the median duration from symptom onset to diagnosis improved from 5 days to 1 day. Disease contact tracing for DoD populations presents unique considerations in an overseas location. Public Health guidelines for the USA may have varying relevance in an overseas location. Rapid case identification with on-site testing is critical to disrupt disease transmission. Preventive measures for Covid-19 infection have decreased incidence of influenza-like illness.

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