scholarly journals Impression of a Neurologist Who Experienced Hub-Hospital for Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-187
Author(s):  
Doo Hyuk Kwon ◽  
Ji Hye Hwang ◽  
Jeong-Ho Hong

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new type of epidemic infectious disease that threatens the world after it first broke out in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. By early March, Korea had the second largest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world after China, among which about 90% of patients reported in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do province. As a neurologist, the author experienced various neurological diseases while working at hub-hospitals for COVID-19 in Daegu. I would like to describe the role of a neurologist in the emerging outbreak of infectious diseases, along with my experience working at the hub-hospital for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2015.

2014 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-19
Author(s):  
Keegan Guidolin ◽  
Gaby Meglei

Perhaps the greatest medical advancement in history was the development of the vaccine. While previously helpless to stop the spread of deadly infectious diseases, humanity has since harnessed the power of vaccination and decreased the incidence of infectious disease across the globe. Smallpox was the first disease to be eradicated—the greatest of our triumphs. This success was due to the global coordinated effort of the Intensified Smallpox Eradication Program. Presently, measles is the top cause of vaccine-preventable death in the world, and despite enormous vaccination efforts, eradication is still distant. This is due in part to the antivaccination movement, which was fueled by an article by Wakefield, published in the Lancet in 1998. The future of vaccination is an ambitious and unclear one—with tremendous financial support and involvement, the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) aims to eliminate vaccine preventable illness within what they call the “Decade of Vaccines”.


Author(s):  
Gian Luca Burci

This article reviews the main international and institutional legal aspects of cooperation in the fight against the plague of infectious diseases. It makes a particular reference to the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies of the UN system. This article underscores the intrinsically international dimension of the realization of the essential importance of international cooperation.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravikant Piyush ◽  
Aroni Chatterjee ◽  
Shashikant Ray

The world is currently going through a disastrous event and a catastrophic upheaval caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The pandemic has resulted in loss of more than 150000 deaths across the globe. Originating from China and spreading across all continents within a short span of time, it has become a matter of international emergency. Different agencies are adopting diverse approaches to stop and spread of this viral disease but still now nothing confirmatory has come up. Due to lack of vaccines and proper therapeutic drugs, the disease is still spreading like wild fire without control. An Old but very promising method- the convalescent plasma therapy could be the key therapy to stop this pandemic. This method has already proven its mettle on several occasions previously and has been found to be effective in curing the pandemics induced by Ebola, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) belongs to the same group of β-Coronavirus that has resulted in the above diseases. Therefore, the role of plasma therapy is being explored for treatment of this disease. In this review, we have mainly focused on the role of convalescent plasma therapy and why its use should be promoted in fight against COVID-19, as it could turn out to be a game changer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-281
Author(s):  
Bindhy Wasini Pandey ◽  
◽  
Yuvraj Singh ◽  
Usha Rani ◽  
Roosen Kumar ◽  
...  

The issue of health has become a major concern in recent years as a result of extensive coverage of media reporting outbreaks of diseases and the spread of deadly infectious diseases around the world. There has been a growing concern over the accessibility and affordability of healthcare facilities. The spread of the ongoing pandemic COVID-19 has been felt all over the world. However, the rate of infection varies across certain regions of the world. There exists intra-regional disparity as well. Recent research shows that there are latitudinal and altitudinal variations in the spread of the COVID-19. This paper studies variation of infection COVID-19 across the highlands of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) and the lowland areas in India. The paper also examines the role of geographical spaces in the spread of coronavirus in these regions. The study indicates that place-based effects (altitude, temperature, pollution levels, etc.) on health can be seen in a variety of ways; therefore, locational issues are very important for addressing health questions. The paper also analyses the Spatio-temporal pattern of the COVID-19 pandemic in the study area to understand the nature of the disease in different locations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-157
Author(s):  
Mohammad Mostafa Ansari Ramandi ◽  
Mohammadreza Baay ◽  
Nasim Naderi

The disaster due to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) around the world has made investigators enthusiastic about working on different aspects of COVID-19. However, although the pandemic of COVID-19 has not yet ended, it seems that COVID-19 compared to the other coronavirus infections (the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [MERS] and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome [SARS]) is more likely to target the heart. Comparing the previous presentations of the coronavirus family and the recent cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 can also help in predicting possible future challenges and taking measures to tackle these issues.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doret de Rooij ◽  
Evelien Belfroid ◽  
Renske Eilers ◽  
Dorothee Roßkamp ◽  
Corien Swaan ◽  
...  

Background. As demonstrated during the global Ebola crisis of 2014–2016, healthcare institutions in high resource settings need support concerning preparedness during threats of infectious disease outbreaks. This study aimed to exploratively develop a standardized preparedness system to use during unfolding threats of severe infectious diseases. Methods. A qualitative three-step study among infectious disease prevention and control experts was performed. First, interviews (n=5) were conducted to identify which factors trigger preparedness activities during an unfolding threat. Second, these triggers informed the design of a phased preparedness system which was tested in a focus group discussion (n=11). Here preparedness activities per phase and per healthcare institution were identified. Third, the preparedness system was completed and verified in individual interviews (n=3). Interviews and the focus group were recorded, transcribed, and coded for emerging themes by two researchers independently. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Results. Four preparedness phases were identified: preparedness phase green is a situation without the presence of the infectious disease threat that requires centralized care, anywhere in the world. Phase yellow is an outbreak in the world with some likelihood of imported cases. Phase orange is a realistic chance of an unexpected case within the country, or unrest developing among population or staff; phase red is cases admitted to hospitals in the country, potentially causing a shortage of resources. Specific preparedness activities included infection prevention, diagnostics, patient care, staff, and communication. Consensus was reached on the need for the development of a preparedness system and national coordination during threats. Conclusions. In this study, we developed a standardized system to support institutional preparedness during an increasing threat. Use of this system by both curative healthcare institutions and the (municipal) public health service, could help to effectively communicate and align preparedness activities during future threats of severe infectious diseases.


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