scholarly journals The military as a neglected pathogen transmitter, from the nineteenth century to COVID-19: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Chaufan ◽  
Ilinca A. Dutescu ◽  
Hanah Fekre ◽  
Saba Marzabadi ◽  
K. J. Noh
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Transmission Mechanism ◽  
Social Mechanisms ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Freedom Of Movement ◽  
Transmission Mechanisms ◽  
Contaminated Food ◽  
The Military

Abstract Background The risk of outbreaks escalating into pandemics has soared with globalization. Therefore, understanding transmission mechanisms of infectious diseases has become critical to formulating global public health policy. This systematic review assessed evidence in the medical and public health literature for the military as a disease vector. Methods We searched 3 electronic databases without temporal restrictions. Two researchers independently extracted study data using a standardized form. Through team discussions, studies were grouped according to their type of transmission mechanism and direct quotes were extracted to generate themes and sub-themes. A content analysis was later performed and frequency distributions for each theme were generated. Results Of 6477 studies, 210 met our inclusion criteria and provided evidence, spanning over two centuries (1810–2020), for the military as a pathogen transmitter, within itself or between it and civilians. Biological mechanisms driving transmission included person-to-person transmission, contaminated food and water, vector-borne, and airborne routes. Contaminated food and/or water were the most common biological transmission route. Social mechanisms facilitating transmission included crowded living spaces, unhygienic conditions, strenuous working, training conditions, absent or inadequate vaccination programs, pressure from military leadership, poor compliance with public health advice, contractor mismanagement, high-risk behaviours, and occupation-specific freedom of movement. Living conditions were the most common social transmission mechanism, with young, low ranking military personnel repeatedly reported as the most affected group. Selected social mechanisms, such as employment-related freedom of movement, were unique to the military as a social institution. While few studies explicitly studied civilian populations, considerably more contained information that implied that civilians were likely impacted by outbreaks described in the military. Conclusions This study identified features of the military that pose a significant threat to global health, especially to civilian health in countries with substantial military presence or underdeveloped health systems. While biological transmission mechanisms are shared by other social groups, selected social transmission mechanisms are unique to the military. As an increasingly interconnected world faces the challenges of COVID-19 and future infectious diseases, the identified features of the military may exacerbate current and similar challenges and impair attempts to implement successful and equitable global public health policies.

scholarly journals The military as a neglected pathogen transmitter and its implications for COVID-19: A systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Chaufan ◽  
Ilinca A. Dutescu ◽  
Hanah Fekre ◽  
Saba Marzabadi ◽  
K.J. Noh
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Transmission Mechanism ◽  
Social Transmission ◽  
Social Mechanisms ◽  
Freedom Of Movement ◽  
Transmission Mechanisms ◽  
Contaminated Food ◽  
The Military

Background: The risk of outbreaks escalating into pandemics has soared with globalization. Therefore, understanding transmission mechanisms of infectious diseases has become critical to formulating global public health policy. This systematic review assessed the evidence for the military as a disease vector, an historically relevant one, yet overlooked in times of COVID-19. Methods: We searched 3 electronic databases without temporal restrictions. We identified 2010 of 6477 studies spanning over two centuries (1810 – 2020) that met our inclusion criteria and provided evidence for the military as a pathogen transmitter, within itself or between it and civilians. Two researchers independently extracted study data using a standardized form. Through team discussions, studies were grouped according to their type of transmission mechanism and direct quotes were extracted to generate themes and sub–themes. A content analysis was later performed and frequency distributions for each theme were generated. Results: Biological mechanisms driving transmission included person–to–person transmission, contaminated food and water, vector–borne, and airborne routes. Social mechanisms facilitating transmission included crowded living spaces, unhygienic conditions, strenuous working, training conditions, absent or inadequate vaccination programs, pressure from military leadership, poor compliance with public health advice, contractor mismanagement, high–risk behaviours, and occupation–specific freedom of movement. Contaminated food and/or water was the most common biological transmission route. Living conditions were the most common social transmission mechanism, with young, low ranking military personnel repeatedly reported as the most affected group. Certain social mechanisms, such as employment–related freedom of movement, were unique to the military as a social institution. While few studies explicitly studied civilian populations, considerably more contained information that implied that civilians were likely impacted by outbreaks described in the military. Conclusions: Features of the military identified in this study pose a significant public health threat, especially to countries with substantial military presence or underdeveloped health systems. Many social transmission mechanisms, unlike biological ones, were unique to the military, facilitating large–spreader events and affecting civilian health. As an increasingly interconnected world faces the challenges of COVID–19 and future infectious diseases, the identified features of the military may exacerbate current and similar challenges and impair attempts to implement successful and equitable pandemic policies.

scholarly journals What influences people’s responses to public health messages for managing risks and preventing infectious diseases? A rapid systematic review of the evidence and recommendations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Ghio ◽  
Sadie Lawes-Wickwar ◽  
Mei Yee Tang ◽  
Tracy Epton ◽  
Neil Howlett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
Managing Risk ◽  
Health Messaging

Background Population level behaviour change, requiring individual behaviour change such as hand hygiene and physical distancing, are central to reducing transmission of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, but little is known about how best to communicate this type of risk reducing information, and how populations might respond. We conducted a rapid systematic review to identify and synthesise evidence relating to: a) What characterises effective public-health messages for managing risk and preventing infectious disease, and b) What influences people’s responses to public-health messages.Methods Rapid systematic review methodology was used. We included all study designs and grey literature. Non-English language papers were excluded. Ovid Medline, Ovid PsycINFO and Healthevidence.org were searched alongside PsyarXiv and OSF Preprints up to May 2020. A narrative synthesis was conducted.Findings We identified 70 eligible papers: 3 systematic reviews, 54 individual papers and 14 pre-prints. To influence behaviour effectively at the population level, public-health messages need to be acceptable, credible and trustworthy, to increase the public’s understanding and perceptions of the threat. Interpretation Key recommendations are to: engage communities in the development of public-health messaging, use credible and legitimate sources, address uncertainty immediately and with transparency, focus on unifying messages from all sources, and develop messages aimed at increasing understanding, induce social responsibility and empower personal control. Embedding these principles of behavioural science into public-health messaging is an important step towards more effective health-risk communication for managing risk, promoting protective behaviours and preventing disease during epidemics/pandemics.

scholarly journals Emerging and re-emerging human infectious diseases: A systematic review of the role of wild animals with a focus on public health impact

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
MarliC Cupertino ◽  
MichelyB Resende ◽  
NicholasAJ Mayer ◽  
LorendaneM Carvalho ◽  
Rodrigo Siqueira-Batista
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Public Health Impact ◽  
Wild Animals

scholarly journals Analysis of the current state of global public health in order to update forecasting the development of the health tourism market

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 4-13
Author(s):  
Galina D. Bryukhanova ◽  
◽  
Galina M. Romanova ◽  
Vladimir N. Gorodin ◽  
Elena V. Dautova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
World Health ◽  
Psychological State ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Health Tourism ◽  
Human Pathology

The first half of this century will undoubtedly be a turning point in a new understanding of the problems of interdependence of non-infectious human pathology and infectious diseases, the image and quality of life of the individual and society as a whole, the system of organization of medical care to the population. For a fairly short time by historical standards, the priority for the population of developed countries was the consumer type of behavior, including in relation to their own health, when the “fashion” for certain diets, forms of leisure, lifestyle appeared and disappeared (including tourism is often with a disdainful attitude of travelers to possible consequences for their own health)– and all this against a relatively prosperous epidemiological background in conditions of unsystematic consumption of information, the growing need to stimulate physical strength and psychological state with pharmacological drugs, non-alcoholic tonic drinks, new forms of tobacco smoking and other harmful methods. However, due to the global incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) The World Health Organization (WHO) and national States have reconfigured medical care systems to high-tech personalized medicine without taking into account epidemiological risks, with the exception of alertness about infections associated with the provision of medical care to patients. Predictors of a sudden exacerbation of the epidemiological situation in the national and global scientific and practical health agenda remained, as a rule, mainly in the discussion field of specialists in the field of infectious diseases — infectious disease specialists, epidemiologists, bacteriologists, molecular biologists. The sudden and rapidly spreading coronavirus infection COVID-19 with a rapid transition to a pandemic forced us to reconsider priorities in the personal and public life of the inhabitants of the planet, in the organization of medical and sanitary services, in the relationship between man and the state, as well as radically modify and transform the market of health tourism. The formation of a forecast regarding the future contours, development trends and the content of health tourism is an urgent task in connection with the unprecedented pressure of the pandemic on public health, on the tourist market in general and on its individual types and directions associated with medicine, in particular.

Public Health Surveillance System

2021 ◽  
pp. 201-220
Author(s):  
Manish Kumar Dwivedi ◽  
Suvashish Kumar Pandey ◽  
Prashant Kumar Singh
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Performance Measure ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Global Coverage ◽  
Public Health Surveillance System

To guard people against some grave infectious disease, the surveillance system is a key performance measure of global public health threats and vulnerability. The diseases surveillance system helps in public health monitor, control, and prevent infectious diseases. Infectious diseases remain major causes of death. It's important to monitor and surveillance worldwide for developing a framework for risk assessment and health regulation. Surveillance systems help us in understanding the factors driving infectious disease and developing new technological aptitudes with modeling, pathogen determination, characterization, diagnostics, and communications. This chapter discussed surveillance system working, progress toward global public healthy society considering perspectives for the future and improvement of infectious disease surveillance without limited and fragmented capabilities, and making even global coverage.

EYE ON CHINA

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (08) ◽  
pp. 4-16
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
The United States ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Test Accuracy ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
Science Collaboration

Pfizer Advances Biosimilars Leadership with Investment in a New World-Class Global Biotechnology Center in China Global Experts Convene to Discuss China's Plan for Diabetes Prevention and Rehabilitation in 2016 Synthace Awarded Technology Pioneer by World Economic Forum GSK Institute for Infectious Diseases and Public Health to Partner with Tsinghua University to Tackle Global Public Health Challenges Fangyuan Pharmaceutical Invests Heavily in R&D of New Drugs for Treatment of Superbacteria Research Centers to Boost New Zealand-China Science Collaboration Dehaier Medical Systems Ltd. Cooperates with China Sciences Group (Holding) Co., Ltd. to Enter China's Elderly Sleep Apnea Market Yisheng Biopharma and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases Announce Positive Animal Results of Vaccine against Ebola Virus Ally Bridge Group (ABG) Expands Personalized Medicine Portfolio, Invests in LinkDoc Technology Limited, China's Oncology Big Data Company Infinitus Establishes International Research Center to Promote Research into the Safety of Chinese Herbal Medicines Local Scientists Invent Novel DNA Testing Technology to Raise Test Accuracy Butterflies Offer Climate Scientists Ecological Insights

scholarly journals The global distribution of acute unintentional pesticide poisoning: estimations based on a systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Boedeker ◽  
Meriel Watts ◽  
Peter Clausing ◽  
Emily Marquez
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
World Health ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Pesticide Poisoning ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Acute Pesticide Poisoning

Abstract Background Human poisoning by pesticides has long been seen as a severe public health problem. As early as 1990, a task force of the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that about one million unintentional pesticide poisonings occur annually, leading to approximately 20,000 deaths. Thirty years on there is no up-to-date picture of global pesticide poisoning despite an increase in global pesticide use. Our aim was to systematically review the prevalence of unintentional, acute pesticide poisoning (UAPP), and to estimate the annual global number of UAPP. Methods We carried out a systematic review of the scientific literature published between 2006 and 2018, supplemented by mortality data from WHO. We extracted data from 157 publications and the WHO cause-of-death database, then performed country-wise synopses, and arrived at annual numbers of national UAPP. World-wide UAPP was estimated based on national figures and population data for regions defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Results In total 141 countries were covered, including 58 by the 157 articles and an additional 83 by data from the WHO Mortality Database. Approximately 740,000 annual cases of UAPP were reported by the extracted publications resulting from 7446 fatalities and 733,921 non-fatal cases. On this basis, we estimate that about 385 million cases of UAPP occur annually world-wide including around 11,000 fatalities. Based on a worldwide farming population of approximately 860 million this means that about 44% of farmers are poisoned by pesticides every year. The greatest estimated number of UAPP cases is in southern Asia, followed by south-eastern Asia and east Africa with regards to non-fatal UAPP. Conclusions Our study updates outdated figures on world-wide UAPP. Along with other estimates, robust evidence is presented that acute pesticide poisoning is an ongoing major global public health challenge. There is a need to recognize the high burden of non-fatal UAPP, particularly on farmers and farmworkers, and that the current focus solely on fatalities hampers international efforts in risk assessment and prevention of poisoning. Implementation of the international recommendations to phase out highly hazardous pesticides by the FAO Council could significantly reduce the burden of UAPP.

scholarly journals The Double-Edged Sword of Military Response to Societal Disruptions: A Systematic Review of the Evidence for Military Personnel as Pathogen Transmitters

2019 ◽  
Vol 220 (12) ◽  
pp. 1873-1884
Author(s):  
Juliana N Zemke ◽  
Jose L Sanchez ◽  
Junxiong Pang ◽  
Gregory C Gray
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Historical Evidence ◽  
Quantitative Review ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Military Service Members

Abstract Given their lack of immunity and increased exposure, military personnel have the potential to serve as carriers or reservoirs for infectious diseases into or out of the deployment areas, but, to our knowledge, the historical evidence for such transmission events has not previously been reviewed. Using PubMed, we performed a systematic review of published literature between 1955 and 2018, which documented evidence for military personnel transporting infectious pathogens into or out of deployment areas. Of the 439 articles screened, 67 were included for final qualitative and quantitative review. The data extracted from these articles described numerous instances in which thousands of military service members demonstrated potential or actual transmission and transportation of multiple diverse pathogens. These data underscore the immense importance preventive medical professionals play in mitigating such risk, how their public health efforts must be supported, and the importance of surveillance in protecting both military and civilian populations.

scholarly journals Antimicrobial Resistance in Horses

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1161
Author(s):  
Amir Steinman ◽  
Shiri Navon-Venezia
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Health Threat ◽  
Modern Health Care ◽  
Public Health Threat ◽  
Care System

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasingly recognized global public health threat to the modern health-care system that could hamper the control and treatment of infectious diseases [...]

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