scholarly journals Defining Risk in Food Safety in the Philippines

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-257
Author(s):  
Abigail S. Rustia ◽  
Mariel Adie P. Tan ◽  
Danisha Niña S. Guiriba ◽  
Francis Philip S. Magtibay ◽  
Isaiah Rome J. Bondoc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
International Trade ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
International Standards ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
The World

Food safety is a fundamental public health concern that is dependent on various factors such as changing global food production patterns, public expectations, and international trade policies.1,2 As a member of the World Trade Organization, the Philippines has agreed to follow the Uruguay Round of Trade Organization, the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement and Technical Barriers to Trade that permits countries to take legitimate measures to protect life and health of their consumers in relation to food safety matters while prohibiting them from using those measures in a way that unjustifiably restricts food trade.3,4,5 The Philippines is also a member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission that aims to ensure consumer protection and to facilitate international trade.6 With these objectives, Codex focuses on the development of food standards based on risk analysis and independent scientific advice provided by expert bodies organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization.7 Risk analysis is a systematic and disciplined methodology that provides policymakers with the science-based information and evidence needed for effective and transparent decision-making, leading to improvements in food safety and public health.8 In the Philippines, Republic Act No. 10611 or the Food Safety Act of 2013, serves as the framework for implementing the farm to fork food safety regulatory system which ensures a high level of consumer health protection, fair trade practices and global competitiveness of Philippine foods by controlling hazards in the food chain, adoption of precautionary measures based on scientific risk analysis, and adoption of international standards.9

scholarly journals COVID-19 and the rise of social activism in Southeast Asia: a public health concern

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Clyde G Corpuz
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Social Activism ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract The current public health crisis has radically altered the social and civic involvement in Southeast Asia. Although the virus has shifted the landscape of engagement, it has not dampened the enthusiasm of the public. In 2020–2021, more people than ever seem to be paying attention and even getting involved in activism. Many dramatic events happened during the coronavirus crisis such as from protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, public activism around the environment, economic inequality, authoritarianism and human rights violations. In Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and just recently Myanmar. The journal has lately published about the ‘Relationship of George Floyd protests to increases in COVID-19 cases using event study methodology’ and it has rightly expressed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recommended social distancing guidelines must be followed in a protest situation. In response to the situation of social activism in Southeast Asia, one must follow the CDC-recommended and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in the Region. Although protesting is an individual human right, one must also be cautious and be aware of the deadly virus since we are still in a pandemic and the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate.

scholarly journals Anti-hepatitis C virus seroprevalence in the working age population in Poland, 2004 to 2014

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bożena Walewska-Zielecka ◽  
Urszula Religioni ◽  
Grzegorz Juszczyk ◽  
Zbigniew M Wawrzyniak ◽  
Aleksandra Czerw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
The World ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Working Age Population ◽  
Health Organization

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be a serious public health concern and one of the major public health priorities. In 2005, it was estimated that there are 185 million anti-HCV positive people in the world, which constitutes 2.8% of the global population. Our study estimates the anti-HCV seroprevalence in the working age population (15–64 years-old), mostly urban and suburban residents, in Poland from 2004 to 2014. The studied group consisted of 61,805 working-age population representatives whose data were obtained from electronic medical records of an outpatient clinic network operating on a countrywide level. Positive anti-HCV test results were obtained in 957 patients, representing 1.5% of the whole population studied throughout the analysed period. The average age of all anti-HCV positive patients was 36.8 years. Analysis of the data suggests that the proportion of anti-HCV positive patients decreased over the study period (mean positive anti-HCV = -0.0017 × year + 3.3715; R2 = 0.7558). In 2004, positive results were noted among 3.2% of patients undergoing HCV antibody tests, but in 2014, the percentage of patients with a positive result stood at 1.1%. The apparent decrease affected men and women similarly. Our study also provides evidence that screening people born before 1965 could be beneficial.

scholarly journals Relevant in Times of Turmoil: WHO and Public Health in Unstable Situations

2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 184-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Loretti ◽  
Xavier Leus ◽  
Bart Van Holsteijn
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Life ◽  
The State ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
World Health ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Surge Capacity ◽  
Humanitarian Action ◽  
The World

AbstractFor millions of people world-wide, surviving the pressure of extreme events is the predominant objective in daily existence. The distinction between natural and human-induced disasters is becoming more and more blurred. Some countries have known only armed conflict for the last 25 years, and their number is increasing. Recently, humanitarian sources reported 24 ongoing emergencies, each of them involving at least 300,000 people “requiring international assistance to avoid malnutrition or death”. All together, including the countries still only at risk and those emerging from armed conflicts, 73 countries, i.e., almost 1.8 trillion people, were undergoing differing degrees of instability.Instability must be envisioned as a spectrum extending between “Utopia” and “Chaos”. As emergencies bring forward extreme challenges to human life, medical and public health ethics make it imperative for the World Health Organisation (WHO) to be involved. As such, WHO must enhance its presence and effectiveness in its capacity as a universally accepted advocate for public health. Furthermore, as crises become more enmeshed with the legitimacy of the State, and armed conflicts become more directed against countries' social capital, they impinge more on WHO's work, and WHO must reconcile its unique responsibility in the health sector, the humanitarian imperative and the mandate to assist its primary constituents.Health can be viewed as a bridge to peace. The Organization specifically has recognised that disasters can and do affect the achievement of health and health system objectives. Within WHO, the Department of Emergency and Humanitarian Action (EHA) is the instrument for intervention in such situations. The scope of EHA is defined in terms of humanitarian action, emergency preparedness, national capacity building, and advocacy for humanitarian ^principles. The WHO's role is changing from ensuring a two-way flow of information on new scientific developments in public health in the ideal all-stable, all-equitable, well-resourced state, to dealing with sheer survival when the state is shattered or is part of the problem. The WHO poses itself the explicit goals to reduce avoidable loss of life, burden of disease and disability in emergencies and post-crisis transitions, and to ensure that the Humanitarian Health Assistance is in-line with international standards and local priorities and does not compromise future health development. A planning tree is presented.The World Health Organization must improve its own performance. This requires three key pre-conditions: 1) presence, 2) surge capacity, and 3) institutional support, knowledge, and competencies. Thus, in order to be effective, WHO's presence and surge capacity in emergencies must integrate the institutional knowledge, the competencies, and the managerial set-up of the Organization.

scholarly journals The evolving burden of asthma and contemporary advances in management: Implications for clinical practice in Southern Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 059-070
Author(s):  
Andrew Kiboneka
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Severe Asthma ◽  
World Health ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Disease Heterogeneity ◽  
Public Health Burden ◽  
The World

Asthma is a rising significant global public health burden especially in the developing countries. The annual prevalence of severe asthma episodes is estimated from 1% to 21% for adults and over 20% for children aged 6–7 years. The prevalence of asthma varies widely around the world, ranging from 0.2% to 21.0% in adults and from 2.8% to 37.6% in 6- to 7-year-old children. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) reports a significant increase in the global prevalence of asthmatic episodes among children. t was estimated that more than 339 million people had Asthma globally in 2016. It is a common disease among children. The common disease asthma is probably not a single disease, but rather a complex of multiple, separate syndromes that overlap. Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, there were 417,918 deaths due to asthma at the global level and 24.8 million DALYS attributable to Asthma in in 2016. The WHO has estimated that the economic costs associated with asthma have exceeded those of TB and HIV/AIDS combined, and the Global Initiative for Asthma Program forecasted the number of asthma patients to grow globally to greater than 400 million by the year 2025. Since its first description by Hippocrates, asthma remains a treatable yet incurable disease. It is now clear that asthma is a complex syndrome with variable severity, natural history and response to treatment In Namibia a prevalence of Asthma of 11.2 % has been reported in adult populations. The increase in asthmatic episodes, morbidity and mortality among populations in Africa, Latin America and parts of Asia is a rising public health concern. The development of novel asthma phenotyping & endo typing plus better classification of patients using machine learning and big data have markedly improved asthma treatment outcomes in both children and Adults. Several research groups have developed cluster analyses of phenotypes in severe asthma. These clusters support the importance of disease heterogeneity in asthma and suggest differences in pathophysiologic mechanisms that define these clusters. Precision medicine is "an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person.

scholarly journals Food safety practices in catering during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larisa Mayurnikova ◽  
Arkadiy Koksharov ◽  
Tatyana Krapiva
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Food Service ◽  
World Health ◽  
Director General ◽  
Main Mode ◽  
Indirect Contact ◽  
The World ◽  
Food Market ◽  
Health Organization

On January 30, 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. There is hardly a country in the world that is not currently facing this problem. The number of cases is constantly growing, patients and carriers being the main mode of transmission. The economies of all countries are at stake. However, people need essential goods and food, regardless of the situation. In this respect, agriculture, food industry, food market, and catering have become priority industries. A continuous operation of food service enterprises (FSE) is crucial for the uninterrupted food supply in the period of preventive measures. The paper describes how pathogen makes its way into FSEs, spreads, and infects people. This information makes it possible to assess the probability of coronavirus infection and to reduce its spread, thus ensuring the safe operation of the enterprise. There are three transmission routes the coronavirus can take at a FSE: (1) aerial transmission by droplets and aerosols during the main and secondary technological production processes, (2) person-to-person transmission from clients to staff or from employee to employee via direct or indirect contact, (3) transmission via contaminated surfaces, e.g. packaging, furniture, equipment, etc. FSEs have to follow the recommendations published by the federal and/or local authorities, which may vary depending on the COVID-19 incidence rate in the area. These recommendations are based on the probability of the public health risk associated with person-to-person transmission, rather than on food safety.

scholarly journals Dengue infection during Covid-19 pandemic: A challenge for case management

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-146
Author(s):  
Md Asaduzzaman Miah
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Dengue Infection ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Global Burden ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has been caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) that declared as an global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).1,2 This ongoing pandemic causes devastation across the world while multiple countries have been facing with another outbreak- Dengue, a known tropical disease.3 Dengue is the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral infection, also considered as a major public health concern. During COVID-19 pandemic, the increasing incidence of dengue become a further threat especially in the dengue-endemic countries of Southeast Asia and Latin America.4 The global burden of dengue is dynamic,  estimated 50 million real cases per year  across  approximately 100 countries.5 Currently, most of the countries are fighting against COVID-19, therefore, further outbreak of dengue has been posed a number of practical challenges to combat the diseases simultaneously. As dengue cases have been increased during Covid-19 pandemic, both SARS‑CoV‑2 and dengue viruses are co-existing and co-circulating in the environment. Consequently, patients with SARS‑CoV‑2 and dengue co-infection has been reported recently in several countries like Singapore, Thailand, India, and Bangladesh.6-9 Hence, it is speculated that the co-infection cases will be increased and found in another countries in the upcoming days when dengue season goes in its peak. Currently, multiple countries in South America like Brazil, Paraguay, Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia are suffering seriously from co-epidemics of dengue and Covid-19.4 Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2020; 46(2): 145-146

COVID-19: A Review on Epidemiology, Clinical Features and Possible Potential Drugs Based on Available Case Studies

Coronaviruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirtikumar C. Badgujar ◽  
Dipak V. Patil ◽  
Dipak V. Dhangar ◽  
Vikrant P. Patil ◽  
Ashish B. Badgujar
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Clinical Features ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

: The emerging novel coronavirus disease 2019 has caused global outbreak and major public health concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a coronavirus disease outbreak a pandemic with a global public health emergency of international concern. As of now, 12th April 2020 almost 18,37,404 cases has been confirmed globally (in 209 countries) with almost 1,13,274 fatalities. This increasing number has created anxiety throughout the world which has severely affected the whole world culture, societies, behavioural pattern, peace and economics. At present, research on novel coronavirus is in the preliminary stage. There is no vaccine or specific antiviral to treat coronavirus disease. Also, very few case studies are available; hence it has become difficult to treat and to control this pandemic situation. In view of this, the present systematic review is done to highlight epidemiology clinical features, radiographic characteristics and potential drugs based on available clinical case reports. Biomarkers for early diagnosis and impact of age, sex, pre-existing comorbidity on COVID-19 is also discussed. Further this paper also outlines various possible antiviral chemical drug agents that can be potential and promising to treat this coronavirus disease 2019. This review may be helpful for medical practitioner, public health workers and government authorities to manage and deal with novel coronavirus disease 2019.

scholarly journals Case Report: First Confirmed Case of Coinfection of SARS-CoV-2 With Choclo orthohantavirus

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Hesse ◽  
Heydy Nuñez ◽  
Jacqueline R. Salazar ◽  
Tybbysay P. Salinas ◽  
Erika Barrera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Fatal Case ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a major international public health concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on March 11, 2020. In Panama, the first SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed on March 9, 2020, and the first fatal case associated to COVID-19 was reported on March 10. This report presents the case of a 44-year-old female who arrived at the hospital with a respiratory failure, five days after the first fatal COVID-19 case, and who was living in a region where hantavirus pulmonary syndrome cases caused by Choclo orthohantavirus (CHOV), are prevalent. Thus, the clinical personnel set a differential diagnosis to determine a respiratory disease caused by the endemic CHOV or the new pandemic SARS-CoV-2. This case investigation describes the first coinfection by SARS-CoV-2 and CHOV worldwide. PCR detected both viruses during early stages of the disease and the genomic sequences were obtained. The presence of antibodies was determined during the patient’s hospitalization. After 23 days at the intensive care unit, the patient survived with no sequelae, and antibodies against CHOV and SARS-CoV-2 were still detectable 12 months after the disease. The detection of the coinfection in this patient highlights the importance, during a pandemic, of complementing the testing and diagnosis of the emergent agent, SARS-CoV-2, with other common endemic respiratory pathogens and other zoonotic pathogens, like CHOV, in regions where they are of public health concern.

scholarly journals Exemption of behind-the-wheel driving test for novice young drivers: A serious public health concern

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 59-61
Author(s):  
Imran Bari ◽  
Nino Paichadze ◽  
Adnan Hyder
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Road Safety ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Road traffic injuries (RTIs) continue to emerge as a serious public health issue across the world; according to the World Health Organization, every year, almost 1.35 million individuals lose their lives, and approximately 25 million injuries are caused by road traffic crashes (World Health Organization, 2018). These RTIs are the leading cause of death for children and young adults between 5-29 years of age (World Health Organization, 2018). Under the current situation of COVID-19 pandemic, there have been reports suggesting a profound decline in RTIs because of reduced traffic on the world’s roads (Job, 2020); however, amid this pandemic, some states in the United Sates have proposed controversial road traffic policies that can jeopardize road safety. The Governor of the State of Georgia, the United States, recently, through an executive order, waived the behind-the-wheel road test requirement for novice drivers who had held a driving permit for a year (The State of Georgia Government, 2020). Through this wavier, almost 20,000 teenagers were granted full driving privileges last month (Taylor, 2020). While the decision was made to address the backlog of driving tests created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and also to practice social distancing (Taylor, 2020), many public health experts are now concerned that this decision will have catastrophic consequences on road safety.

scholarly journals Human microbiota research in Africa: a systematic review reveals gaps and priorities for future research

Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Imane Allali ◽  
Regina E. Abotsi ◽  
Lemese Ah. Tow ◽  
Lehana Thabane ◽  
Heather J. Zar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
African Populations ◽  
The World ◽  
Microbiome Research

Abstract Background The role of the human microbiome in health and disease is an emerging and important area of research; however, there is a concern that African populations are under-represented in human microbiome studies. We, therefore, conducted a systematic survey of African human microbiome studies to provide an overview and identify research gaps. Our secondary objectives were: (i) to determine the number of peer-reviewed publications; (ii) to identify the extent to which the researches focused on diseases identified by the World Health Organization [WHO] State of Health in the African Region Report as being the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in 2018; (iii) to describe the extent and pattern of collaborations between researchers in Africa and the rest of the world; and (iv) to identify leadership and funders of the studies. Methodology We systematically searched Medline via PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, Africa-Wide Information through EBSCOhost, and Web of Science from inception through to 1st April 2020. We included studies that characterized samples from African populations using next-generation sequencing approaches. Two reviewers independently conducted the literature search, title and abstract, and full-text screening, as well as data extraction. Results We included 168 studies out of 5515 records retrieved. Most studies were published in PLoS One (13%; 22/168), and samples were collected from 33 of the 54 African countries. The country where most studies were conducted was South Africa (27/168), followed by Kenya (23/168) and Uganda (18/168). 26.8% (45/168) focused on diseases of significant public health concern in Africa. Collaboration between scientists from the United States of America and Africa was most common (96/168). The first and/or last authors of 79.8% of studies were not affiliated with institutions in Africa. Major funders were the United States of America National Institutes of Health (45.2%; 76/168), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (17.8%; 30/168), and the European Union (11.9%; 20/168). Conclusions There are significant gaps in microbiome research in Africa, especially those focusing on diseases of public health importance. There is a need for local leadership, capacity building, intra-continental collaboration, and national government investment in microbiome research within Africa.

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