scholarly journals Does sunlight drive seasonality of TB in Vietnam? A retrospective environmental ecological study of Tuberculosis seasonality in Vietnam from 2010-2015

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Bonell ◽  
Lucie Contamin ◽  
Pham Quang Thai ◽  
Hoang Thi Thanh Thuy ◽  
Rogier H van Doorn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Linear Model ◽  
World Health ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
The South ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The World

Abstract Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health burden, with an estimated quarter of the world’s population being infected. The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the “End TB Strategy” in 2014 emphasising knowing the epidemic. WHO ranks Vietnam 12 th in the world of high burden countries. TB spatial and temporal patterns have been observed globally with evidence of Vitamin D playing a role in seasonality. We explored the presence of temporal and spatial clustering of TB in Vietnam and their determinants to aid public health measures. Methods: Data were collected by the National TB program of Vietnam from 2010-2015 and linked to the following datasets: socio-demographic characteristics; climatic variables; influenza-like-illness (ILI) incidence; geospatial data. The TB dataset was aggregated by province and quarter. Descriptive time series analyses using LOESS regression were completed per province to determine seasonality and trend. Harmonic regression was used to determine the amplitude of seasonality by province. A mixed-effect linear model was used with province and year as random effects and all other variables as fixed effects. Results: There were 610,676 cases of TB notified between 2010-2015 in Vietnam. Heat maps of TB incidence per quarter per province showed substantial temporal and geospatial variation. Time series analysis demonstrated seasonality throughout the country, with peaks in spring/summer and troughs in autumn/winter. Incidence was consistently higher in the south, the three provinces with the highest incidence per 100,000 population were Tay Ninh, An Giang and Ho Chi Minh City. However, relative seasonal amplitude was more pronounced in the north. Mixed-effect linear model confirmed that TB incidence was associated with time and latitude. Of the demographic, socio-economic and health related variables, population density, percentage of those under 15 years of age, and HIV infection prevalence per province were associated with TB incidence. Of the climate variables, absolute humidity, average temperature and sunlight were associated with TB incidence. Conclusion : Preventative public health measures should be focused in the south of Viet Nam where incidence is highest. Vitamin D is unlikely to be a strong driver of seasonality but supplementation may play a role in a package of interventions.

scholarly journals Does sunlight drive seasonality of TB in Vietnam? A retrospective environmental ecological study of Tuberculosis seasonality in Vietnam from 2010-2015

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Bonell ◽  
Lucie Contamin ◽  
Pham Quang Thai ◽  
Hoang Thi Thanh Thuy ◽  
Rogier H van Doorn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Linear Model ◽  
Spatial Clustering ◽  
Absolute Humidity ◽  
World Health ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
The World ◽  
Temporal And Spatial

Abstract Background Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health burden, with an estimated quarter of the world’s population being infected. The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the “End TB Strategy” in 2014 with emphasis placed on knowing the epidemic. Vietnam is 12th in the world ranking of high burden countries by WHO definition. TB spatial and temporal patterns have been observed globally with evidence of Vitamin D playing a role in the seasonality. We explored the presence of temporal and spatial clustering of TB in Vietnam and their determinants to aid public health measures.Methods Data were collected by the National TB program of Vietnam from 2010-2015 and linked to the following datasets: socio-demographic characteristics; climatic variables; influenza-like-illness (ILI) incidence; geospatial data. The TB dataset was aggregated by province and quarter. Descriptive time series analyses using LOESS regression were completed per province to determine seasonality and trend. Harmonic regression was used to determine the amplitude of seasonality by province. A mixed-effect linear model was used with province and year as random effects and all other variables as fixed effects.Results There were 610,676 cases of TB notified between 2010-2015 in Vietnam. Heat maps of TB incidence per quarter per province showed substantial temporal and geospatial variation. Time series analysis demonstrated seasonality throughout the country, with peaks in spring/summer and troughs in autumn/winter. Incidence was consistently higher in the south. However, relative seasonal amplitude was more pronounced in the north. Mixed-effect linear model confirmed that TB incidence was associated with time and latitude. Of the demographic, socio-economic and health related variables, population density, percentage of those under 15 years of age, and HIV infection prevalence per province were associated with TB incidence. Of the climate variables, absolute humidity, average temperature and sunlight were associated with TB incidence.Conclusion Incidence decreased and the relative seasonal amplitude of TB increased with latitude in Vietnam. Temporal and spatial hotspots were found. Seasonality of TB was associated with reduced hours of sunlight at a lag of six months.

scholarly journals Vietnamese Public Health Practices in the Advent of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Developing Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 163-164
Author(s):  
Jeconiah Louis Dreisbach
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Short Communication ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents a great challenge to developing countries with limited access to public health measures in grassroots communities. The World Health Organization lauded the Vietnamese government for its proactive and steady investment in health facilities that mitigate the risk of the infectious disease in Vietnam. This short communication presents cases that could benchmark public health policies in developing countries.

scholarly journals Wayfaring in Taiwan during COVID-19: Reflections on Political Ontologies of Disease and Geopolitics

2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Simon
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Pacific Islanders ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Political ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Ethnic Tensions ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

What are the political and ontological implications of COVID‑19? I had plenty of time to reflect on this from March to July after I ended fieldwork in Guam and unexpectedly spent four months in Taiwan. Because of Taiwan’s proximity to China, where the pandemic began, it initially seemed as if it would be among the most serious cases. Instead, Taiwan’s public health measures allowed it to become one of the few places in the world relatively untouched by the virus. The experience of Taiwan with COVID‑19 was shaped most of all by tense relations with China and the non-recognition of the country by the World Health Organization (WHO). There are also intriguing differences within Taiwan where historically Chinese settler groups and Indigenous peoples related to other Pacific Islanders find their place in the world through a broad spectrum of non-Western ontologies. In travelogue genre, I reflect upon their different stories and practices of worlding as fears of the pandemic ontributed to a heightened sense of crisis, ethnic tensions, and a rise in nationalism. This reveals important ontological differences that will continue to influence the geopolitics of the region even beyond the current pandemic.

scholarly journals Pseudoscientific Treatments in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Flattening the "Infodemic" Curve Also Saves Lives

Bionatura ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 1181-1184
Author(s):  
Estefanía Espín
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Preventive Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Distorted Communication ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as a pandemic. 1 This pandemic has claimed 640,016 lives worldwide, as officially reported to the WHO. 2 In parallel, an epidemic equally dangerous for human health; the "infodemic" spread. Infodemic is a term coined to define information excess, some accurate and some not, during an epidemic, which could damage public health. 3 Infodemic spreads rapidly, influencing the behavior of the population, avoiding their adherence to preventive health measures. The amplifying factor of the infodemic is mainly social media, whose users increased globally by 20-87%, during the pandemic. 4 Infodemic has been prejudicial due to: 1) distorted communication of facts with a weak scientific basis; and 2) diffusion of pseudoscientific theories. 5 In the context of a pandemic threatening our lives, in the absence of an effective vaccine or treatment, amid the constant updating of scientific information, as we learn more about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19; a favorable scenario has been generated for infodemic.

scholarly journals COVID-19—A Novel Zoonotic Disease: A Review of the Disease, the Virus, and Public Health Measures

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 145-153
Author(s):  
John S. Mackenzie ◽  
David W. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
Clinical Severity ◽  
World Health ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Unknown Etiology ◽  
Director General ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

A cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology emerged in Wuhan, China, at the end of December 2019. The cluster was largely associated with a seafood and animal market. A novel Betacoronavirus was quickly identified as the causative agent, and it is shown to be related genetically to SARS-CoV and other bat-borne SARS-related Betacoronaviruses. The number of cases increased rapidly and spread to other provinces in China, as well as to another four countries. To help control the spread of the virus, a “cordon sanitaire ” was instituted for Wuhan on January 23, 2020, and subsequently extended to other cities in Hubei Province, and the outbreak declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the Director General of the World Health Organization on January 30, 2020. The virus was named SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee for the Taxonomy of Viruses, and the disease it causes was named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization. This article described the evolution of the outbreak, and the known properties of the novel virus, SARS-CoV-2 and the clinical disease it causes, and the major public health measures being used to help control it’s spread. These measures include social distancing, intensive surveillance and quarantining of cases, contact tracing and isolation, cancellation of mass gatherings, and community containment. The virus is the third zoonotic coronavirus, after SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, but appears to be the only one with pandemic potential. However, a number of important properties of the virus are still not well understood, and there is an urgent need to learn more about its transmission dynamics, its spectrum of clinical severity, its wildlife origin, and its genetic stability. In addition, more research is needed on possible interventions, particularly therapeutic and vaccines.

scholarly journals COVID-19 in pastoral contexts in the greater Horn of Africa: Implications and recommendations

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan F. Griffith ◽  
Loupa Pius ◽  
Pablo Manzano ◽  
Christine C. Jost
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
One Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Intersectoral Collaboration ◽  
Horn Of Africa ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The World ◽  
Greater Horn Of Africa

Abstract COVID-19 is a global pandemic that continues to spread around the world, including to Africa where cases are steadily increasing. The African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is leading the pandemic response in Africa, with direction from the World Health Organization guidelines for critical preparedness, readiness, and response actions. These are written for national governments, lacking nuance for population and local differences. In the greater Horn of Africa, conditions unique to pastoralists such as inherent mobility and limited health and service infrastructure will influence the dynamics of COVID-19. In this paper, we present a One Health approach to the pandemic, consisting of interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration focused on the determinants of health and health outcomes amongst pastoralists. Our contextualized public health strategy includes community One Health teams and suggestions for where to implement targeted public health measures. We also analyse the interaction of COVID-19 impacts, including those caused directly by the disease and those that result from control efforts, with ongoing shocks and vulnerabilities in the region (e.g. desert locusts, livestock disease outbreaks, floods, conflict, and development displacement). We give recommendations on how to prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its secondary impacts on pastoral areas. Given that the full impact of COVID-19 on pastoral areas is unknown currently, our health recommendations focus on disease prevention and understanding disease epidemiology. We emphasize targeting pastoral toponymies with public health measures to secure market access and mobility while combating the direct health impacts of COVID-19. A contextualized approach for the COVID-19 public health response in pastoral areas in the Greater Horn of Africa, including how the pandemic will interact with existing shocks and vulnerabilities, is required for an effective response, while protecting pastoral livelihoods and food, income, and nutrition security.

scholarly journals History and global status of the new coronavirus covid-2019 and aspects of previous infections of sars-cov and mers-cov: A systematic review

Coronaviruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 02 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Pinato Alves da Costa ◽  
Vinicius Lisboa da Rocha ◽  
Rogério Rodrigo Ramos ◽  
José Martins Pinto Neto ◽  
Wagner Rafael da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
World Health ◽  
Diverse Group ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Status ◽  
Advanced Support ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Epidemiological Situation

Introduction: Coronaviruses (CoV) are a diverse group of viruses which has been described in the literature since 1960, SARS, MERS and the most recent SARS-CoV-2. This new virus is causing worldwide pandemic outbreak on the first half of 2020, thousands of deaths and a major economic crisis. Objective: Due to this new context, the present study aimed to conduct a systematic study review on the global status of the new coronavirus (COVID-2019) and its aspects in comparison to the previous SARS-CoV infections and MERS-CoV. Methods: The study was conducted from January to September 2020, 89 clinical cases were submitted to further analysis and 77 studies were selected to systematic review under the PRISMA guidelines. Major findings and Conclusion: In some countries the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic appears to be out of control. In case of suspicion, tests are essential to identify early stages of invection and, if necessary, patients need to be put in quarantine and other public health measures should be taken in accordance to the World Health Organization guidelines. Advanced support is needed to identify and isolate infected patients, especially vaccines and medicines that help to control the virus and the epidemiological situation in each country. These measures are expected to reduce the rate of new cases of SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals Novel coronavirus associated with severe respiratory disease: Case definition and public health measures

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (39) ◽  
Author(s):  
N Danielsson ◽  
collective on behalf of the ECDC Internal Response Team ◽  
M Catchpole
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Case Definition ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Disease Case ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Two cases of rapidly progressive acute respiratory infection in adults associated with a novel coronavirus have generated an international public health response. The two infections were acquired three months apart, probably in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. An interim case definition has been elaborated and was published on the World Health Organization website on 25 September 2012.

scholarly journals Kenya’s Response to COVID 19, a Descriptive Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Peter S. Ongwae ◽  
Kennedy M. Ongwae
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Epidemic Curve ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
First Case ◽  
The World ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Health Organization

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory viral infection caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2. The first case of the infection was confirmed in Wuhan China in 2019, by early March 2020 the infection had spread to all the continents of the World attaining a pandemic status as declared by the World Health Organization on 11th March 2020. Kenya reported its first confirmed COVID-19 case on 13th March 2020, increasing to 5206 cases as reported on 24th June 2020. COVID-19 is a novel infection with no known cure, currently, the mainstay to the infection is through public health measures. These measures are hand hygiene, cough etiquette, face masking and social distancing among others. This review aims to examine the literature on the public health measures which have been used to control outbreaks caused by respiratory viruses. The review will also identify the public health measures which Kenya is using to control the pandemic. A descriptive survey on the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kenya shows that infection is on the rise and the epidemic curve is on the ascending trajectory. The review informs that the country requires a high level of preparedness to handle COVID-19. The areas to consider include, having robust health care systems with an adequate number of; hospital beds, healthcare workers and personal protective equipment.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the first pharmacy-led weight management programme in Greece

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. i45-i46
Author(s):  
A Peletidi ◽  
R Kayyali
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Annual Report ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Introduction Obesity is one of the main cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.(1) In primary care, pharmacists are in a unique position to offer weight management (WM) interventions. Greece is the European country with the highest number of pharmacies (84.06 pharmacies per 100,000 citizens).(2) The UK was chosen as a reference country, because of the structured public health services offered, the local knowledge and because it was considered to be the closest country to Greece geographically, unlike Australia and Canada, where there is also evidence confirming the potential role of pharmacists in WM. Aim To design and evaluate a 10-week WM programme offered by trained pharmacists in Patras. Methods This WM programme was a step ahead of other interventions worldwide as apart from the usual measuring parameters (weight, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure (BP)) it also offered an AUDIT-C and Mediterranean diet score tests. Results In total,117 individuals participated. Of those, 97.4% (n=114), achieved the programme’s aim, losing at least 5% of their initial weight. The mean % of total weight loss (10th week) was 8.97% (SD2.65), and the t-test showed statistically significant results (P<0.001; 95% CI [8.48, 9.45]). The programme also helped participants to reduce their waist-to-height ratio, an early indicator of the CVD risk in both male (P=0.004) and female (P<0.001) participants. Additionally, it improved participants’ BP, AUDIT-C score and physical activity levels significantly (P<0.001). Conclusion The research is the first systematic effort in Greece to initiate and explore the potential role of pharmacists in public health. The successful results of this WM programme constitute a first step towards the structured incorporation of pharmacists in public’s health promotion. It proposed a model for effectively delivering public health services in Greece. This study adds to the evidence in relation to pharmacists’ CVD role in public health with outcomes that superseded other pharmacy-led WM programmes. It also provides the first evidence that Greek pharmacists have the potential to play an important role within primary healthcare and that after training they are able to provide public health services for both the public’s benefit and their clinical role enhancement. This primary evidence should support the Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Association, to “fight” for their rights for an active role in primary care. In terms of limitations, it must be noted that the participants’ collected data were recorded by pharmacists, and the analysis therefore depended on the accuracy of the recorded data, in particular on the measurements or calculations obtained. Although the sample size was achieved, it can be argued that it is small for the generalisation of findings across Greece. Therefore, the WM programme should be offered in other Greek cities to identify if similar results can be replicated, so as to consolidate the contribution of pharmacists in promoting public health. Additionally, the study was limited as it did not include a control group. Despite the limitations, our findings provide a model for a pharmacy-led public health programme revolving around WM that can be used as a model for services in the future. References 1. Mendis S, Puska P, Norrving B, World Health Organization., World Heart Federation., World Stroke Organization. Global atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization in collaboration with the World Heart Federation and the World Stroke Organization; 2011 [cited 2018 Jun 26]. 155 p. Available from: http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/publications/atlas_cvd/en/ 2. Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union. Pharmacy with you throughout life:PGEU Annual Report [Internet]. 2015. Available from: https://www.pgeu.eu/en/library/530:annual-report-2015.html

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