scholarly journals PANRESISTANT SUPERBUGS: ARE WE AT THE EDGE OF A ‘MICROBIAL HOLOCAUST’

Author(s):  
I. D. Khan ◽  
K. S. Rajmohan ◽  
A. K. Jindal ◽  
R. M. Gupta ◽  
S. Khan ◽  
...  

Contemporary healthcare has progressed towards world health security through advancements in medication-based and surgical interventions, supported by the success of antimicrobial therapy. The emergence of panresistant infectious diseases is becoming a public health problem worldwide. Panresistance is attributable to a complex interplay of antimicrobial overuse in healthcare facilities due to lack of regulatory commitment in the backdrop of natural mutations in pathogens and rise in immunocompromised hosts. Developing countries are facing the brunt in epidemic proportions due to strained public health infrastructure and limited resource allocation to healthcare. Panresistance is a biological, behavioural, technical, economic, regulatory and educational problem of global concern and combating it will require concerted efforts to preserve the efficacy of the available antimicrobials. An intensified commitment needs to be taken up on a war footing to increase awareness in the society, increase laboratory capacity, facilitate antimicrobial research, foster emphasis on infection control and antimicrobial stewardship, and legislation on manufacturing, marketing and dispensing of antimicrobials.

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Syed Kadri ◽  
Saleem-ur Rehman ◽  
Kausar Rehana ◽  
Ailbhe Brady ◽  
Vijay Chattu

Mumps is a public health problem on a global scale caused by mumps virus, a member of family paramyxoviridae. An effective form of vaccination exists and is incorporated into routine immunization schedules in over 100 countries, usually in the form of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. This is not the case in India, as mumps is not viewed as a significant enough public health problem by the government to warrant such an intervention. This original research paper discusses about outbreaks of mumps in Kashmir, India and aims to add to the body of literature to support the routine immunization with the mumps vaccine. From July to September 2017, there were 15 outbreaks and 260 cases of mumps recorded in the region by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP). We conclude that the Indian Government should include the MMR vaccination in the Universal Immunization Programme. This would result in clinical and economic benefits by reducing outbreaks and associated morbidity of mumps, in addition to tackling the recognized morbidity and mortality of rubella and measles. To support the global health security, there is a great need to strengthen surveillance, adhere to the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations (IHRs), and pay attention to emerging and re-emerging infectious agents, including paramyxovirus group.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
SaurabhRamBihariLal Shrivastava ◽  
PrateekSaurabh Shrivastava ◽  
Jegadeesh Ramasamy

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 006-009
Author(s):  
Ali Kemal Erenler ◽  
Seval Komut ◽  
Ahmet Baydin

Workplace violence (WPV) is a growing public health problem worldwide affecting physical and mental health of healthcare providers. It has many deterious consequences such as anxiety, burnout and intention to leave the job. With the pandemic, it is assumed that the incidence of workplace violence tends to increase. Particularly, misinformation about the nature of the disease create prejudice against staff working in healthcare facilities. There are several measures to be taken for prevention of physical and mental health of healthcare providers. A “zero-tolerance policy against violence” should be implemented. Doctors and nurses should be encouraged to report incidents. Social support should be provided for the personnel. In this review, our aim was to clarify if there is an increase in the incidence of WPV against healthcare providers in the pandemic process. We also aimed to make recommendations about measures that must be taken to prevent healthcare providers from detrimental effects of WPV.


Author(s):  
Laura A. Meek

This research article critically interrogates the implications and unintended consequences of the World Health Organization’s purported elimination of leprosy as a public health problem. I explore how leprosy has been portrayed (for nearly a century) as something from the past, recalcitrantly lingering on into the present, but surely about to be gone—a temporal framing I call the ‘grammar of leprosy’. I recount the experiences of Daniel, my interlocutor in Tanzania, whose existence became a problem for his doctors. This problem they ultimately resolved by fabricating negative test results in order to record what they already knew: leprosy had been eliminated. I also analyse how researchers working for Novartis (the supplier of leprosy’s cure) continue to push for an always imminent ‘elimination’, while field researchers repeatedly caution about the potential problems of this approach. Finally, I reveal how the grammar of leprosy operates through a complex set of temporal politics, pulling into its orbit and being enabled by multiple interwoven temporalities. I conclude that—due to this grammar, the impossible subjects it produces, and the temporal politics through which it operates—leprosy elimination campaigns may have dire consequences for the lives of people with leprosy today, impeding rather than enabling treatment.


Author(s):  
Butool Hisam ◽  
Mohammad Nadir Haider ◽  
Ghazala Saleem ◽  
Admin

We are observing with great concern the global spread of the COVID19 Pandemic. What is equally alarming is a less visible, albeit serious Public health issue; one that the United Nations has dubbed as the ‘Shadow Pandemic’ [1]. This is none other than the globally prevalent issue of violence against women, particularly Intimate Partner Violence. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a serious, possibly preventable public health problem globally. Pakistan ranks among the countries with the highest IPV rates [2]. On 11th March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the highly infectious and lethal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) to be a pandemic [3]. Drastic measures were enforced universally to curb the spread of COVID-19. Countries issued strict nationwide lockdowns to isolate the population and implemented social distancing. The economy was impacted tremendously, and many people experienced financial and emotional hardship during this mandatory confinement. While everyone was affected, one population was in a far worse situation than others. Survivors of IPV were trapped alongside their perpetrators and faced difficulty/less freedom to escape threatening situations compared to the past. It is not surprising given that historical periods of uncertainty such as war or economic crisis have resulted in increased interpersonal violence, including violence against women [4].  The Hubei province of China, the first region to undergo a lockdown, saw nearly a doubling of their rates of IPV with the start of COVID19 Pandemic.  Similarly, tragic stories gained nationwide coverage in the United States. IPV may also have risen in Pakistan, even if it is not being covered as extensively. During pandemics, fear causes us to minimize our personal needs and make sacrifices we would not normally make. This could be a reasonable approach for most but should not be for survivors of IPV. IPV survivors live in constant fear for themselves and their children; they are now devoid of their only means of mitigation; avoidance. Local woman’s support groups in Pakistan should act and spread awareness about this grim reality hiding underneath the Pandemic. Resources/funding should be made available for survivors to be able to reach out for support without having to leave the watchful eyes of their perpetrators. Public health officials ought to investigate and document the rise in IPV to help identify the leading causes of the increase. These steps will assist in developing crisis-specific guidelines to provide adequate resources for the future. Continuous....


Author(s):  
Roojin Habibi ◽  
Steven J. Hoffman ◽  
Gian Luca Burci ◽  
Thana Cristina de Campos ◽  
Danwood Chirwa ◽  
...  

Abstract The International Health Regulations (ihr), of which the World Health Organization is custodian, govern how countries collectively promote global health security, including prevention, detection, and response to global health emergencies such as the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. Countries are permitted to exercise their sovereignty in taking additional health measures to respond to such emergencies if these measures adhere to Article 43 of this legally binding instrument. Overbroad measures taken during recent public health emergencies of international concern, however, reveal that the provision remains inadequately understood. A shared understanding of the measures legally permitted by Article 43 is a necessary step in ensuring the fulfillment of obligations, and fostering global solidarity and resilience in the face of future pandemics. In this consensus statement, public international law scholars specializing in global health consider the legal meaning of Article 43 using the interpretive framework of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e2014070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgia Sulis ◽  
Alberto Roggi ◽  
Alberto Matteelli ◽  
Mario C. Raviglione

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern worldwide: despite a regular, although slow, decline in incidence over the last decade, as many as 8.6 million new cases and 1.3 million deaths were estimated to have occurred in 2012. TB is by all means a poverty-related disease, mainly affecting the most vulnerable populations in the poorest countries. The presence of multidrug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis in most countries, with some where prevalence is high, is among the major challenges for TB control, which may hinder recent achievements especially in some settings. Early TB case detection especially in resource-constrained settings and in marginalized groups remains a challenge, and about 3 million people are estimated to remain undiagnosed or not notified and untreated. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently launched the new global TB strategy for the “post-2015 era” aimed at “ending the global TB epidemic” by 2035, based on the three pillars that emphasize patient-centred TB care and prevention, bold policies and supportive systems, and intensified research and innovation.This paper aims to provide an overview of the global TB epidemiology as well as of the main challenges that must be faced to eliminate the disease as a public health problem everywhere.


2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Paola López Velandia ◽  
María Inés Torres Caycedo ◽  
Carlos Fernando Prada Quiroga

ResumenIntroducción: La resistencia antimicrobiana es un grave problema de salud pública que se encuentra en aumento. Entre los factores más importantes relacionados con la diseminación de bacterias multirresistentes está el uso inapropiado de antibióticos y la aplicación insuficiente de las medidas de prevención y control. Adicionalmente, las bacterias tienen la capacidad de mutar o generar mecanismos de transferencia de genes de resistencia mediante plásmidos, transposones e integrones. Materiales y métodos: Se hizo una revisión crítica de la literatura sobre los principales genes de resistencia Gram negativos y su impacto en la salud pública. Fueron utilizadas las bases de datos de Medline, Embase, Lilacs, ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciELO, the Cochrane Library y Lilacs. Resultados: Se presenta una revisión de literatura que describe y analiza los principales genes de resistencia a antibióticos presentes en bacilos gram negativos, su origen, evolución y diseminación a microorganismos mediante la transferencia horizontal de genes; justificando la importancia de realizar una vigilancia epidemiológica del tránsito de clones con diferentes perfiles de resistencia y principales enzimas. Conclusiones: El seguimiento de la resistencia antimicrobiana desde el punto de vista de la epidemiología molecular forma parte transcendental de la vigilancia antibiótica como lo recomienda la Organización Mundial de la Salud; pues representa el futuro del monitoreo de la resistencia.AbstractIntroduction: Antimicrobial resistance is a serious public health problem that is increasing. Among the most important factors related to the spread of multi-resistant bacteria are the inappropriate use of antibiotics and the insufficient  implementation of prevention and control measures. Additionally, bacteria have the ability to mutate or create mechanisms for transfer of resistance genes via plasmids, transposons and integrons. Materials and methods: A critical review of the literature on major resistance genes in Gram negative bacteria and its impact on public health was conducted. Data have been collected from Medline, Embase, Lilacs, ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciELO, the Cochrane Library and Lilacs. Results: A review of literature that describes and analyzes the main antibiotic resistance genes present in gram-negative bacilli is presented, as well as their origin, evolution, and subsequent spread to hundreds of species of microorganisms by Horizontal gene transfer which justifies the importance of conducting an epidemiological surveillance on transit of clones with different resistance profiles and major enzymes. Conclusions: The control of antimicrobial resistance from the point of view of molecular epidemiology is part of the antibiotic surveillance control as recommended by the World Health Organization; as it represents the future of the surveillance of resistance.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pragya D Yadav ◽  
Gajanan Sapkal ◽  
Raches Ella ◽  
Rima R Sahay ◽  
Dimpal A Nyayanit ◽  
...  

Recently, multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants have been detected across the globe.The recent emergence of B.1.617 lineage has created serious public health problem in India. The high transmissibility was observed with this lineage which has led to daily increase in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Apparently, the sub-lineage B.1.617.2 has slowly dominated the other variants including B1617.1, B.617.3 and B.1.1.7. With this, World Health Organization has described B.1.617.2 as variant of concern. Besides this, variant of concern B.1.351 has been also reported from India, known to showreducedefficacyfor many approved vaccines. With the increasing threat of the SARS-CoV-2 variants, it is imperative to assess the efficacy of the currently available vaccines against these variants. Here, we have evaluated the neutralization potential of sera collected from COVID-19 recovered cases (n=20) and vaccinees with two doses of BBV152 (n=17) against B.1.351 and B.1.617.2 compared to the prototype B.1 (D614G) variant.The finding of the study demonstrated a reduction in neutralization titers with sera of COVID-19 recovered cases(3.3-fold and 4.6-fold) and BBV152 vaccinees (3. 0 and 2.7 fold) against B.1.351 and B.1.617.2 respectively. Although, there is reduction in neutralization titer, the whole-virion inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (BBV152) demonstrates protective response against VOC B.1351 and B.1.617.2.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-19
Author(s):  
Christopher Lowbridge ◽  
May Chiew ◽  
Katherine Russel ◽  
Takuya Yamagishi ◽  
Babatunde Olowokure ◽  
...  

In the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Region, event-based surveillance has been conducted for more than a decade to rapidly detect and assess public health events. This report describes the establishment and evolution of the Western Pacific Region’s event-based surveillance system and presents an analysis of public health events in the Region. Between July 2008 and June 2017, a total of 2396 events were reported in the Western Pacific Region, an average of 266 events per year. Infectious diseases in humans and animals accounted for the largest proportion of events recorded during this period (73%, 1743 events). Maintaining and strengthening this well-established system is critical to support the rapid detection, assessment and response to public health events to sustain regional health security.


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