Integrating additional information on asylum seekers into the German routine surveillance system for infectious diseases, Sep-Dec 2015

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela Diercke
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Routine Surveillance

scholarly journals A Syndrome-Based Surveillance System for Infectious Diseases Among Asylum Seekers in Austrian Reception Centers, 2015-2018: Analysis of Reported Data

10.2196/11465 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e11465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziad El-Khatib ◽  
Karin Taus ◽  
Lukas Richter ◽  
Franz Allerberger ◽  
Daniela Schmid
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Reported Data

scholarly journals Scabies epidemiology in health care centers for refugees and asylum seekers in Greece

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Louka ◽  
Emmanouil Logothetis ◽  
Daniel Engelman ◽  
Eirini Samiotaki-Logotheti ◽  
Spyros Pournaras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers

Background Scabies is a global health concern disproportionally affecting vulnerable population such as refugees and asylum seekers. Greece is a main geographical point of entry in Europe for refugees, but epidemiological data on scabies in this population is scarce. We aimed to evaluate the epidemiology of scabies, including trends over the study period. Methodology/Principal findings Data were collected from June, 2016 to July, 2020, using the surveillance system of the Greek National Public Health Organization. Staff at health centers for refugees/asylum seekers compiled daily reports on scabies and other infectious diseases. Observed proportional morbidity for scabies was calculated using consultations for scabies as a proportion of total consultations. There were a total of 13118 scabies cases over the study period. Scabies was the third most frequently observed infectious disease in refugees/asylum seekers population after respiratory infections and gastroenteritis without blood in the stool. The scabies monthly observed proportional morbidity varied between 0.3% (August 2017) to 5.6% (January 2020). Several outbreaks were documented during the study period. An increasing number of cases was observed from October 2019 until the end of the study period, with a peak of 1663 cases in January 2020, related to an outbreak at one center. Spearman correlation test between the number of reported scabies cases and time confirmed an increasing trend (ρ=0.67). Conclusions/Significance Scabies is one of the most frequently reported infectious diseases by health care workers in refugee/asylum seekers centers in Greece. Consultations for scabies increased over time and there were several outbreaks. The current surveillance system effectively detects new cases in an early stage. Public health interventions, including mass drug administration, should be considered to reduce the burden of scabies in refugee/migrant populations.

A Syndrome-Based Surveillance System for Infectious Diseases Among Asylum Seekers in Austrian Reception Centers, 2015-2018: Analysis of Reported Data (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziad El-Khatib ◽  
Karin Taus ◽  
Lukas Richter ◽  
Franz Allerberger ◽  
Daniela Schmid
Keyword(s):  
Tract Infection ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infection ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Watery Diarrhea ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Bone Abnormalities

BACKGROUND Austria has been among the main European countries hosting incoming asylum seekers since 2015. Consequently, there was an urgent need to predict any public health threats associated with the arriving asylum seekers. The Department of Surveillance and Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) was mandated to implement a national syndrome-based surveillance system in the 7 reception centers by the Austrian Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Health. OBJECTIVE We aimed to analyze the occurrence and spread of infectious diseases among asylum seekers using data reported by reception centers through the syndrome-based surveillance system from September 2015 through February 2018. METHODS We deployed a daily data collection system for 13 syndromes: rash with fever; rash without fever; acute upper respiratory tract infection; acute lower respiratory tract infection; meningitis or encephalitis; fever and bleeding; nonbloody gastroenteritis or watery diarrhea; bloody diarrhea; acute jaundice; skin, soft tissue, or bone abnormalities; acute flaccid paralysis; high fever with no other signs; and unexplained death. General practitioners, the first professionals to consult for health problems at reception centers in Austria, sent the tally sheets on identified syndromes daily to the AGES. RESULTS We identified a total of 2914 cases, presenting 8 of the 13 syndromes. A total of 405 signals were triggered, and 6.4% (26/405) of them generated alerts. Suspected acute upper respiratory tract infection (1470/2914, 50.45% of cases), rash without fever (1174/2914, 40.29% of cases), suspected acute lower respiratory tract infection (159/2914, 5.46% of cases), watery diarrhea (73/2914, 2.51% of cases), and skin, soft tissue, or bone abnormalities (32/2914, 1.10% of cases) were the top 5 syndromes. CONCLUSIONS The cooperation of the AGES with reception center health care staff, supported by the 2 involved ministries, was shown to be useful for syndromic surveillance of infectious diseases among asylum seekers. None of the identified alerts escalated to an outbreak.

scholarly journals Establishing a National Syndromic Surveillance System among Asylum Seekers

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariette Hooiveld ◽  
Madelief Mollers ◽  
Stephanie Van Rooden ◽  
Robert A. Verheij ◽  
Susan Hahné
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Health Centre ◽  
Care Centre ◽  
Health Care Centre ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance System

ObjectiveFacing challenges to establish a new national syndromicsurveillance system in the Netherlands for infectious diseases amongasylum seekers.IntroductionMost European countries are facing a continuous increased influxof asylum seekers [1]. Poor living conditions in crowded shelters andrefugee camps increase the risk for - outbreaks of - infectious diseasesin this vulnerable population. In line with ECDC recommendations[2], we aim to improve information on infectious diseases amongasylum seekers by establishing a new syndromic surveillance systemin the Netherlands. This system will complement the notifiabledisease system for infectious diseases.The aim of the syndromic surveillance system is to improve thedetecting of outbreaks of infectious diseases in asylum seekers’centres in an early stage of development to be able to take adequateand timely measures to prevent further spread, and to collectinformation on the burden of infection within this population.MethodsPrimary health care for asylum seekers in the Netherlands isorganized nationally by the Asylum Seekers Health Centre, withgeneral practitioners providing care in each reception centre. Generalpractitioners (GPs) act as gatekeepers for specialized, secondaryhealth care and the GP is the first professional to consult for healthproblems. Therefore, electronic health records (EHR) kept by GPsprovide a complete picture of this population. These EHRs containdata on diagnoses/symptoms and treatment of asylum seekers, usingthe International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC). This data isrecorded routinely, as part of the health care process. During summer2016, about 30,000 asylum seekers were housed in about 60 receptioncentres across the Netherlands.ResultsThe governance structure was layed down in a collaborationagreement between the Asylum Seekers Health Centre, the nationalinstitute of public health RIVM and NIVEL. To ensure privacy ofthe asylum seekers, a privacy protocol has been drawn, taking intoaccount strict privacy regulations in the Netherlands. The informationsystem provider of the health care centre developed an extraction toolthat automatically generates weekly data extracts from the electronichealth records system to a Trusted Third Party (TTP). Beforetransferring the data to NIVEL, the TTP removes directly identifyingpatient information, indirectly identifying information like date ofbirth is replaced by quarter and year, and the personal identificationnumber is replaced by a pseudonym. At NIVEL, all data is storedin a relational database, from which weekly research extracts aregenerated for infectious disease surveillance at RIVM after applyinga second pseudonymisation step (two-way pseudonimisation) [3].First data extracts are being expected mid-October 2016, after whichdata quality will be evaluated. Weekly, or daily, consultations rateswill be calculated based on the number of cases meeting predefineddefinitions, stratified by immigration centre, age group, sex andnationality. Numerators will be based on the number of populationhoused in the immigration centres.ConclusionsWith the cooperation of a national health care centre, providingprimary care to asylum seekers housed at several locations, and theinformation system provider of the health care centre, EHRs can beused for syndromic surveillance, taking into account strict privacyregulations. The new surveillance system will be evaluated after oneyear, focusing on data quality, usefulness, and the added value aboveto the notification of diseases.

scholarly journals Learning to Detain Asylum Seekers and the Growth of Mass Immigration Detention in the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Smita Ghosh ◽  
Mary Hoopes
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Cognitive Dissonance ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
The United States ◽  
Critical Component ◽  
Immigration Detention ◽  
Important Shift

Drawing upon an analysis of congressional records and media coverage from 1981 to 1996, this article examines the growth of mass immigration detention. It traces an important shift during this period: while detention began as an ad hoc executive initiative that was received with skepticism by the legislature, Congress was ultimately responsible for entrenching the system over objections from the agency. As we reveal, a critical component of this evolution was a transformation in Congress’s perception of asylum seekers. While lawmakers initially decried their detention, they later branded them as dangerous. Lawmakers began describing asylum seekers as criminals or agents of infectious diseases in order to justify their detention, which then cleared the way for the mass detention of arriving migrants more broadly. Our analysis suggests that they may have emphasized the dangerousness of asylum seekers to resolve the dissonance between their theoretical commitments to asylum and their hesitance to welcome newcomers. In addition to this distinctive form of cognitive dissonance, we discuss a number of other implications of our research, including the ways in which the new penology framework figured into the changing discourse about detaining asylum seekers.

Recent Advances: Antiinfectives

1995 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 1035-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie L Briceland ◽  
John D Cleary ◽  
Courtney V Fletcher ◽  
Daniel P Healy ◽  
Charles A Peloquin
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
English Language ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Ulcer Disease ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Study Selection ◽  
Enterococcus Spp ◽  
Scientific Meetings ◽  
Clinically Significant

Objective: To update readers on the significant changes in infectious diseases pharmacotherapy. Data Sources: An Index Medians and Iowa Drug Information Service search (1993–1994) of English-language literature pertaining to the selected topic areas was performed. Additional information from abstracts presented at scientific meetings were identified by the authors. Study Selection and Data Extraction: All identified studies were screened and those judged relevant to the update were evaluated. Data Synthesis: New or clinically significant data since 1992 that related to peptic ulcer disease, microbial resistance (e.g., Enterococcus spp., Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Candida albicans), immunomodulators, and AIDS were evaluated and compared with previous data. Conclusions: There have been several exciting and significant changes in infectious diseases pharmacotherapy evident from this review.

scholarly journals Emerging Disease Syndromic Surveillance for Hurricane Katrina Evacuees Seeking Shelter in Houston's Astrodome and Reliant Park Complex

2009 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 364-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristy O. Murray ◽  
Cindy Kilborn ◽  
Mary desVignes-Kendrick ◽  
Erin Koers ◽  
Valda Page ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
New Orleans ◽  
Acute Gastroenteritis ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Emerging Disease ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern

Transmission of infectious diseases became an immediate public health concern when approximately 27,000 New Orleans-area residents evacuated to Houston's Astrodome and Reliant Park Complex following Hurricane Katrina. This article presents a surveillance system that was rapidly developed and implemented for daily tracking of various symptoms in the evacuee population in the Astrodome “megashelter.” This system successfully confirmed an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis and became a critical tool in monitoring the course of this outbreak.

scholarly journals Surveillance of acute infectious gastroenteritis (1992–2009) and food-borne disease outbreaks (1996–2009) in Italy, with a focus on the Piedmont and Lombardy regions

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Mughini-Gras ◽  
C Graziani ◽  
F Biorci ◽  
A Pavan ◽  
R Magliola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Notification System ◽  
Lombardy Region ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Regional Systems ◽  
Infectious Gastroenteritis ◽  
Food Borne ◽  
Notification Data ◽  
And Control

We describe trends in the occurrence of acute infectious gastroenteritis (1992 to 2009) and food-borne disease outbreaks (1996 to 2009) in Italy. In 2002, the Piedmont region implemented a surveillance system for early detection and control of food-borne disease outbreaks; in 2004, the Lombardy region implemented a system for surveillance of all notifiable human infectious diseases. Both systems are internet based. We compared the regional figures with the national mean using official notification data provided by the National Infectious Diseases Notification System (SIMI) and the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), in order to provide additional information about the epidemiology of these diseases in Italy. When compared with the national mean, data from the two regional systems showed a significant increase in notification rates of non-typhoid salmonellosis and infectious diarrhoea other than non-typhoid salmonellosis, but for food-borne disease outbreaks, the increase was not statistically significant. Although the two regional systems have different objectives and structures, they showed improved sensitivity regarding notification of cases of acute infectious gastroenteritis and, to a lesser extent, food-borne disease outbreaks, and thus provide a more complete picture of the epidemiology of these diseases in Italy.

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