COVID-19 Case Investigations Among Federally Quarantined Evacuees From Wuhan, China, and Exposed Personnel at a US Military Base, United States, February 5-21, 2020

2021 ◽  
pp. 003335492110634
Author(s):  
Meagan R. Chuey ◽  
Rebekah J. Stewart ◽  
Maroya Walters ◽  
Emily J. Curren ◽  
Susan L. Hills ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Military Base ◽  
Case Identification ◽  
Us Military ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Control Procedures

In February 2020, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, 232 evacuees from Wuhan, China, were placed under federal 14-day quarantine upon arrival at a US military base in San Diego, California. We describe the monitoring of evacuees and responders for symptoms of COVID-19, case and contact investigations, infection control procedures, and lessons learned to inform future quarantine protocols for evacuated people from a hot spot resulting from a novel pathogen. Thirteen (5.6%) evacuees had COVID-19–compatible symptoms and 2 (0.9%) had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2. Two case investigations identified 43 contacts; 3 (7.0%) contacts had symptoms but tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Daily symptom and temperature screening of evacuees and enacted infection control procedures resulted in rapid case identification and isolation and no detected secondary transmission among evacuees or responders. Lessons learned highlight the challenges associated with public health response to a novel pathogen and the evolution of mitigation strategies as knowledge of the pathogen evolves.

SARS — a response from a health protection unit

2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 12-15
Author(s):  
L Lighton
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Health Protection ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Laboratory Services ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Control Situations ◽  
Control Procedures ◽  
The Media ◽  
Ongoing Surveillance

On 17 March 2003 a 64-year-old man was admitted to hospital in Greater Manchester with a diagnosis of probable SARS. The Greater Manchester Health Protection Unit coordinated the public health response. Issues that needed to be addressed included: clarifying the diagnosis, management of contacts, infection control procedures, laboratory services, ongoing surveillance and managing the media response. The principles used for the management of this incident are applicable to many other communicable disease and infection control situations.

Not your typical “historian”

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 523-533
Author(s):  
Adrienne Lefevre ◽  
Madison Walter-Garcia ◽  
Kimberly Hanson ◽  
Julia Smith-Easley
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Health Community ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Purpose In the incident command system (ICS) structure, response documentation is formally found within the planning section. However, longer term emergency responses have demonstrated the need for a flexible and innovative role that encompasses a variety of activities, including response documentation, communications science, real-time evaluation of major themes, and information management. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This need can be universally met through the functional role of “Historian,” a term specific to ICS, or in the case of public health response, incident management system (IMS). It should be noted that the Historian role discussed is not related to the academic study of history, but to archiving key successes and challenges during a response. Ideally the Historian should be activated at the start of an emergency response and remain active to capture the overall picture of the response, including internal information, such as lessons learned, response activities, and decision-making processes. Findings The Historian compiles details of response activities that inform leadership, donors and external communications products while alleviating pressures on the planning section. The primary, minimum output of an IMS Historian is a response timeline, which notes major internal and external events during a response with emphasis on major themes, lessons learned, and creating a user-friendly interface to display this information (see the list “Abbreviated Example of Hurricane Matthew Response Timeline” in the text). Originality/value In a world with competing priorities and ongoing emergencies, the Historian’s role of archiving details of response efforts can help the international public health community to share lessons learned and contribute to lower morbidity and mortality among those affected by emergencies.

scholarly journals Public health response and lessons learned from the 2014 chikungunya epidemic in Grenada

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin S Forde ◽  
Francis Martin ◽  
George Mitchell ◽  
Satesh Bidaisee
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Vector Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Epidemiological Surveillance ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Island State ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Multiple Challenges

In June 2014, the first cases of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) were diagnosed on the island of Carriacou, part of the tri-island state of Grenada. In the three months that followed, CHIKV spread rapidly, with conservative estimates of the population infected of at least 60%. Multiple challenges were encountered in the battle to manage the spread and impact of this high–attack rate virus, including 1) limited indigenous laboratory diagnostic capabilities; 2) an under-resourced health care system; 3) a skeptical general public, hesitant to accept facts about the origin and mode of transmission of the new virus; and 4) resistance to the vector control strategies used. Lessons learned from the outbreak included the need for 1) a robust and reliable epidemiological surveillance system; 2) effective strategies for communicating with the general population; 3) exploration of other methods of mosquito vector control; and 4) a careful review of all health care policies and protocols to ensure that effective, organized responses are triggered when an infectious outbreak occurs.

scholarly journals Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the State of Texas of the United States: Past Reflections, Present Shortcomings, and Future Needs of the Public Health Response

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ume L Abbas ◽  
Camden J Hallmark ◽  
Marlene McNeese ◽  
Vagish Hemmige ◽  
Joseph Gathe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Accelerated Expansion ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis

Abstract A strategy titled “Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America” aims to reduce human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence in the United States by at least 90% by 2030, using diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies. Texas is a Southern state that has one of the highest numbers of new HIV diagnoses and people with HIV in the country, and where HIV disproportionately impacts minorities. We retrace the historical epidemic in its largest city, Houston, to illustrate the lessons learned and milestones accomplished, which could serve as guideposts for the future. We examine the current epidemic in Texas, including the achieved levels of HIV testing, treatment continua, and pre-exposure prophylaxis prescription, and compare and contrast these with the national estimates and Plan targets. Our findings call for urgent and accelerated expansion of efforts to end HIV in Texas.

scholarly journals Priorities for the child public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic recovery in England

2020 ◽  
pp. archdischild-2020-320214
Author(s):  
Catherine Hefferon ◽  
Catherine Taylor ◽  
Davara Bennett ◽  
Catherine Falconer ◽  
Melisa Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Child Poverty ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Return To Schooling ◽  
Child Public Health

Child health is at risk from the unintended consequences of the COVID-19 response and will suffer further unless it is given proper consideration. The pandemic can be conceived as a systemic shock to the wider determinants of child health, with impacts on family functioning and income, access to healthcare and education. This article outlines COVID-19 impacts on children in England. Key priorities relate to the diversion of healthcare during lockdown; interruption and return to schooling; increased health risks and long-term impacts on child poverty and social inequalities. We provide an overview of mitigation strategies and policy recommendations aimed to assist both national and local professionals across child health, education, social care and related fields to inform the policy response.

scholarly journals An Outbreak Preparedness and Mitigation Approach in Home Health and Personal Home Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 229-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Mills ◽  
Susan Sender ◽  
Karen Reynolds ◽  
Joseph Lichtefeld ◽  
Nicholas Romano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Home Care Services ◽  
Home Health ◽  
Case Identification ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Control Procedures ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The acute respiratory disease COVID-19, caused by the novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is a worldwide pandemic affecting millions of people. The methodology that organizations who provide home health and personal home care services are using to respond to this pandemic has not yet been characterized. In this report, we describe our approach to comprehensive outbreak suppression and report an initial case series of COVID-19 positive patients receiving home-based services. We implemented enhanced infection control procedures across our affiliates, and we communicated these protocols to our offices using multi-faceted methods. Using custom built software applications enabling us to track patient and employee cases and exposures, we leveraged current public health recommendations to identify cases and to suppress transmission. In the 100-day period between January 20, 2020 and April 30, 2020, our affiliates provided services to 67 COVID-19 positive patients (<0.3% of census). Twenty patients were referred to home health post hospitalization for COVID-19 related illness, whereas 47 were found to have COVID-19 while living in community settings. Of those who were found to have COVID-19 in the community, 17 (39%) required subsequent hospitalization. Hospitalized patients had an average age of 74.5 ± 18, and 53% were male. There were 13 deaths (76%) among those hospitalized from the community with COVID-19 related illness. A highly coordinated and frequently communicated approach to infection control, case identification and employee screening can be performed by home health and personal home care organizations. Studies that further assess risks and predictors of illness severity in home-based COVID-19 patients are needed.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and its intersect with ethics and human rights in Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (07) ◽  
pp. 910-12
Author(s):  
Farai Mutenherwa ◽  
Rouzeh Eghtessadi ◽  
Tafadzwa Dzinamarira ◽  
Godfrey Musuka
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Restrictive Measures

Confirmed new cases of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have accelerated in Sub-Saharan Africa against a backdrop of fragile health systems, a high burden of comorbidities and socioeconomic instability. The context makes the region particularly vulnerable to the virus and its impact. As cases escalate, the need to tailor-make COVID-19-related response strategies to the African context is imperative. This paper aims to discuss key considerations on the public health response to the pandemic and its intersection with ethics and human rights. With this perspective, we bring attention to the conflict between healthcare workers’ obligations and patient rights under the unclear policy and regulatory frameworks and the application of restrictive measures in the context of poverty. The indirect effects of the pandemic on already existing health problems are also highlighted. We appeal to the African States to establish appropriate systems which integrate human rights-based approaches to COVID-19 response. These systems should be ethically sound systems and ensure no-one is left behind in terms of testing, access to therapeutics and vaccination, and social protection; based on lessons learned over the past 12 months of the pandemic’s presence in SSA, and patterns emerging across the globe.

scholarly journals Ten Urgent Priorities Based on Lessons Learned From More Than a Half Million Known COVID-19 Cases in US Prisons

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e7
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Barnert ◽  
Ada Kwan ◽  
Brie Williams
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Community Reentry ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Advance Care

COVID-19 is ravaging US prisons. Prison residents and staff must be prioritized for vaccination, but a rapidly mutating virus and high rates of continued spread require an urgent, coordinated public health response. Based on knowledge accumulated from the pandemic thus far, we have identified 10 pressing public health priorities for responding to COVID-19 in prisons: (1) accelerate population reduction coupled with community reentry support, (2) improve prison ventilation systems, (3) ensure appropriate mask use, (4) limit transfers between facilities, (5) strengthen partnerships between public health departments and prison leadership, (6) introduce or maintain effective occupational health programs, (7) ensure access to advance care planning processes for incarcerated patients and delineation of patient health care rights, (8) strengthen partnerships between prison leadership and incarcerated people, (9) provide emergency mental health support for prison residents and staff, and (10) commit to public accountability and transparency. Dedicated prison leaders cannot accomplish these public health priorities alone. We must mobilize prison leaders, staff, and residents; public health departments; community advocates; and policymakers to work together to address the pandemic’s outsized impact in US prisons. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print April 15, 2021: e1–e7. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306221 )

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