Testing more and earlier = better control of the epidemic and lower social costs.

Abstract In this note we explore the effect of the number of daily tests on an epidemics control policy purely based on testing and selective quarantine, and the impact of these actions depending on the time their application starts. Surprisingly, the results not only confirm that increasing the number of tests lowers the number of infected individuals, but also that it has a very beneficial effect limiting the number of quarantined individuals, and thus the socio-economical costs of the epidemics. The results also show that the timing in the application of the measures is as important as the measures themselves. The results suggest that fast decision making and investments to increase testing capabilities are highly rewarded not only from the public health viewpoint, but also from the socio-economical one. The study is carried out in simulation using stochastic cellular automata representing a community of 50'000 individuals. The selection of the tested individuals is carried out based on a contact tracing strategy focused on the closer contacts.

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Massive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Testing on Rural Communities in Manabi Province (Ecuador) Reveals Severe COVID-19 Outbreaks

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene ◽

10.4269/ajtmh.20-1208 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 104 (4) ◽

pp. 1493-1494

Author(s):

Esteban Ortiz-Prado ◽

Aquiles R. Henriquez-Trujillo ◽

Ismar A. Rivera-Olivero ◽

Byron Freire-Paspuel ◽

Alexander Paolo Vallejo-Janeta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Coastal Region ◽

Contact Tracing ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

The Public ◽

Health Infrastructure ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Public Health Authorities ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACTRural communities from Latin America are particularly susceptible to develop serious outbreaks of infectious diseases. Inadequate diagnosis and poor health infrastructure jeopardize proper contact tracing and other actions to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in the region. We herein describe the preliminary data of our ongoing fieldwork of massive testing among nonhospitalized rural population in Manabi Province of the coastal region of Ecuador. A total of 1,479 people from six different rural communities were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR following the CDC protocol; 350 individuals tested positive, resulting in an overall attack rate of 23.7% for SARS-CoV-2 infection. This ultrahigh prevalence must urge to the public health authorities from Ecuador to take immediate actions to counteract this dramatic scenario in Manabi Province and to improve SARS-CoV-2 testing countrywide.

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Green Deal as a Climate Changes Dam on the Road to Health

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.295 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

M Jevtic ◽

C Bouland

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Climate Change ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Clinical Medicine ◽

Health Sector ◽

The Public ◽

The Road ◽

National Public Health ◽

On The Road ◽

The Impact

Abstract Public health professionals (PHP) have a dual task in climate change. They should persuade their colleagues in clinical medicine of the importance of all the issues covered by the GD. The fact that the health sector contributes to the overall emissions of 4.4% speaks to the lack of awareness within the health sector itself. The issue of providing adequate infrastructure for the health sector is essential. Strengthening the opportunities and development of the circular economy within healthcare is more than just a current issue. The second task of PHP is targeting the broader population. The public health mission is being implemented, inter alia, through numerous activities related to environmental monitoring and assessment of the impact on health. GD should be a roadmap for priorities and actions in public health, bearing in mind: an ambitious goal of climate neutrality, an insistence on clean, affordable and safe energy, a strategy for a clean and circular economy. GD provides a framework for the development of sustainable and smart transport, the development of green agriculture and policies from field to table. It also insists on biodiversity conservation and protection actions. The pursuit of zero pollution and an environment free of toxic chemicals, as well as incorporating sustainability into all policies, is also an indispensable part of GD. GD represents a leadership step in the global framework towards a healthier future and comprises all the non-EU members as well. The public health sector should consider the GD as an argument for achieving goals at national levels, and align national public health policies with the goals of this document. There is a need for stronger advocacy of health and public-health interests along with incorporating sustainability into all policies. Achieving goals requires the education process for healthcare professionals covering all of topics of climate change, energy and air pollution to a much greater extent than before.

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Effect of COVID-19 on childhood Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in Chengdu, China

BMC Pediatrics ◽

10.1186/s12887-021-02679-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ying Zhang ◽

Yijie Huang ◽

Tao Ai ◽

Jun Luo ◽

Hanmin Liu

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Mycoplasma Pneumoniae ◽

Close Contact ◽

Serum Antibody ◽

Pathogen Transmission ◽

Western China ◽

Public Health Response ◽

The Public ◽

Health Response ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a change in the incidence and transmission of respiratory pathogens was observed. Here, we retrospectively analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on the epidemiologic characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection among children in Chengdu, one of the largest cities of western China. Method M. pneumoniae infection was diagnosed in 33,345 pediatric patients with respiratory symptoms at the Chengdu Women’s & Children’s Central Hospital between January 2017 and December 2020, based on a serum antibody titer of ≥1:160 measured by the passive agglutination assay. Differences in infection rates were examined by sex, age, and temporal distribution. Results Two epidemic outbreaks occurred between October-December 2017 and April-December 2019, and two infection peaks were detected in the second and fourth quarters of 2017, 2018, and 2019. Due to the public health response to COVID-19, the number of positive M. pneumoniae cases significantly decreased in the second quarter of 2020. The number of M. pneumoniae infection among children aged 3–6 years was higher than that in other age groups. Conclusions Preschool children are more susceptible to M. pneumoniae infection and close contact appears to be the predominant factor favoring pathogen transmission. The public health response to COVID-19 can effectively control the transmission of M. pneumoniae.

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Impact of the Affordable Care Act’s Dependent Coverage Expansion on the Health Care and Health Status of Young Adults: What Do We Know So Far?

Medical Care Research and Review ◽

10.1177/1077558716682171 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 75 (2) ◽

pp. 131-152 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Joshua Breslau ◽

Bradley D. Stein ◽

Bing Han ◽

Shoshanna Shelton ◽

Hao Yu

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Status ◽

Insurance Coverage ◽

Health Impact ◽

Care Utilization ◽

The Public ◽

Behavioral Health Treatment ◽

Coverage Expansion ◽

Dependent Coverage ◽

The Impact

The dependent coverage expansion (DCE), a component of the Affordable Care Act, required private health insurance policies that cover dependents to offer coverage for policyholders’ children through age 25. This review summarizes peer-reviewed research on the impact of the DCE on the chain of consequences through which it could affect public health. Specifically, we examine the impact of the DCE on insurance coverage, access to care, utilization of care, and health status. All studies find that the DCE increased insurance coverage, but evidence regarding downstream impacts is inconsistent. There is evidence that the DCE reduced high out-of-pocket expenditures and frequent emergency room visits and increased behavioral health treatment. Evidence regarding the impact of the DCE on health is sparse but suggestive of positive impacts on self-rated health and health behavior. Inferences regarding the public health impact of the DCE await studies with greater methodological diversity and longer follow-up periods.

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Human rights restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland and Russia. Legal and comparative aspects

Zeszyty Naukowe Instytutu Administracji Akademii im Jana Długosza w Częstochowie Gubernaculum et Administratio ◽

10.16926/gea.2021.02.35 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2(24) ◽

pp. 323-340

Author(s):

Marta Pietras-Eichberger

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

European Union ◽

Human Rights ◽

Public Interest ◽

The European Union ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

The Public ◽

Safety And Health ◽

Research Problems ◽

The Impact

The study analyzed selected issues related to the scope of human rights and freedoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland and Russia. The author wanted to compare the regulations issued by a Member State of the European Union and a country outside the European Union, often using undemocratic methods of exercising power. The work focuses on research problems related to the principles of protection, the confrontation of individual interests with the public interest, and the impact of the regimes introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic on human rights law in both countries. The thesis of the study is that in the event of a threat to public health, analogous restrictions on human rights are introduced both in an undemocratic country and in a country belonging to international structures identifying with democratic values. The state of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed, and in some area even contributed to the creation of mechanisms reserved for crisis situations, posing a direct and real threat to public safety and health.

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The complication of cyber manhunt: How cyber manhunt further complicated the ethical conflict between breaching the confidentiality and endangering the society in face of the COVID-19 pandemic (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.29135 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yen-Chang Chen ◽

Yen-Yuan Chen

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Large Scale ◽

Health Workers ◽

Early Stage ◽

Personal Information ◽

Public Health Intervention ◽

Contact Tracing ◽

Online Activity ◽

Contact Investigation ◽

The Impact

UNSTRUCTURED While health care and public health workers are working on measures to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an unprecedentedly large number of people spending much more time indoors, and relying heavily on the Internet as their lifeline. What has been overlooked is the influence of the increasing online activities on public health issues. In this article, we pointed out how a large-scale online activity called cyber manhunt may threaten to offset the efficacy of contact tracing investigation, a public health intervention considered highly effective in limiting further transmission in the early stage of a highly contagious disease outbreak such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first section, we presented a case to show how personal information obtained from contact investigation and disclosed in part on the media provoked a vehement cyber manhunt. We then discussed the possible reasons why netizens collaborate to reveal anonymized personal information about contact investigation, and specify, from the perspective of public health and public health ethics, four problems of cyber manhunt, including the lack of legitimate public health goals, the concerns about privacy breach, the impact of misinformation, and social inequality. Based on our analysis, we concluded that more moral weight may be given to protecting one's confidentiality, especially in an era with the rapid advance of digital and information technologies.

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Can the Health-Care System Meet the Challenge of Pandemic Flu? Planning, Ethical, and Workforce Considerations

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/003335490712200503 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 122 (5) ◽

pp. 573-578 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Peter J. Levin ◽

Eric N. Gebbie ◽

Kristine Qureshi

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Care Staff ◽

Health Care Staff ◽

Accurate Information ◽

The Public ◽

Health Care Delivery Systems ◽

The Impact

The federal pandemic influenza plan predicts that 30% of the population could be infected. The impact of this pandemic would quickly overwhelm the public health and health-care delivery systems in the U.S. and throughout the world. Surge capacity for staffing, availability of drugs and supplies, and alternate means to provide care must be included in detailed plans that are tested and drilled ahead of time. Accurate information on the disease must be made available to health-care staff and the public to reduce fear. Spokespersons must provide clear, consistent messages about the disease, including actions to be taken to contain its spread and treat the afflicted. Home care will be especially important, as hospitals will be quickly overwhelmed. Staff must be prepared ahead of time to assure their ability and willingness to report to work, and public health must plan ahead to adequately confront ethical issues that will arise concerning the availability of treatment resources. The entire community must work together to meet the challenges posed by an epidemic. Identification and resolution of these challenges and issues are essential to achieve adequate public health preparedness.

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Transnational Protest and The Public Sphere

Mobilization An International Quarterly ◽

10.17813/maiq.10.1.dq013h7nh027u126 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 95-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Michelle Beyeler ◽

Hanspeter Kriesi

Keyword(s):

Public Sphere ◽

Media Coverage ◽

Public Support ◽

Economic Globalization ◽

The Public ◽

The World ◽

World Economic ◽

The Public Sphere ◽

The Impact ◽

Selection Of

This article explores the impact of protests against economic globalization in the public sphere. The focus is on two periodical events targeted by transnational protests: the ministerial conferences of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the annual meetings of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Based on a selection of seven quality newspapers published in different parts of the world, we trace media attention, support of the activists, as well as the broader public debate on economic globalization. We find that starting with Seattle, protest events received extensive media coverage. Media support of the street activists, especially in the case of the anti-WEF protests, is however rather low. Nevertheless, despite the low levels of support that street protesters received, many of their issues obtain wide public support.

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