scholarly journals Impact of the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic on public health workers in the Netherlands

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Vinck ◽  
L Isken ◽  
M Hooiveld ◽  
M C Trompenaars ◽  
J IJzermans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
H1n1 Pandemic ◽  
Influenza A H1n1 ◽  
Public Health Workers ◽  
The Impact

A cross-sectional study was undertaken to analyse the impact of the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic on frontline public health workers in the Netherlands and to consider its implications for future pandemics. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was made available online (26 March to 26 May 2010) for frontline public health workers employed by the communicable disease departments of the public health services in the Netherlands (n=302). A total of 166 questionnaires (55%) were completed. The majority of respondents reported an increased workload, perceived as too busy (117 respondents, 70.5%) or extreme (13 respondents, 7.8%). Most respondents were not anxious about becoming infected (only seven were regularly concerned). The overall compliance with the control measures was good. The case definition was strictly applied by 110 of the 166 respondents (66%); 56 of 141 (39.7%) consistently consulted the Preparedness and Response Unit within a centralised assessment system, while 68 of 141 (48.2%) consulted the unit only at the beginning of the pandemic. Of 145 respondents with available data, 128 (88.3%) always used personal protective equipment. Reported adherence to the advice to discuss the various isolation measures with patients and their contacts was between 71% and 98.7%. Our study shows that the surveyed frontline public health workers considered the workload to be high during the first 3.5 months of the pandemic and their level of anxiety about becoming infected was reported to be low. During the pandemic, these workers were able to accommodate what they considered to be an excessive workload, even though initially their assignments were unfamiliar to them.

FDA-iRISK—A Comparative Risk Assessment System for Evaluating and Ranking Food-Hazard Pairs: Case Studies on Microbial Hazards

2013 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 376-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
YUHUAN CHEN ◽  
SHERRI B. DENNIS ◽  
EMMA HARTNETT ◽  
GREG PAOLI ◽  
RÉGIS POUILLOT ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Quantitative Risk Assessment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Life Years ◽  
The Impact

Stakeholders in the system of food safety, in particular federal agencies, need evidence-based, transparent, and rigorous approaches to estimate and compare the risk of foodborne illness from microbial and chemical hazards and the public health impact of interventions. FDA-iRISK (referred to here as iRISK), a Web-based quantitative risk assessment system, was developed to meet this need. The modeling tool enables users to assess, compare, and rank the risks posed by multiple food-hazard pairs at all stages of the food supply system, from primary production, through manufacturing and processing, to retail distribution and, ultimately, to the consumer. Using standard data entry templates, built-in mathematical functions, and Monte Carlo simulation techniques, iRISK integrates data and assumptions from seven components: the food, the hazard, the population of consumers, process models describing the introduction and fate of the hazard up to the point of consumption, consumption patterns, dose-response curves, and health effects. Beyond risk ranking, iRISK enables users to estimate and compare the impact of interventions and control measures on public health risk. iRISK provides estimates of the impact of proposed interventions in various ways, including changes in the mean risk of illness and burden of disease metrics, such as losses in disability-adjusted life years. Case studies for Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella were developed to demonstrate the application of iRISK for the estimation of risks and the impact of interventions for microbial hazards. iRISK was made available to the public at http://irisk.foodrisk.org in October 2012.

Apathy and Ignorance: False Prophets of Autism and the Anti-Vaccine Movement

2020 ◽  
pp. 389-398
Author(s):  
Michael B. A. Oldstone
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Personal Beliefs ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
False Reporting ◽  
The Face ◽  
Public Health Workers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

This chapter highlights the story of autism, the widespread acceptance of its incorrect cause, and the impact on use of vaccines, all stemming directly from deliberate, false reporting. The basic conflict is twofold. First, involvement of a scientific method that must be reproducible, be reliable, and possess substantial proof is in conflict with common/personal beliefs. Second, doctors, scientists, and public health workers, despite their mandate to listen to parents and patients concerning their opinions, must base medical conclusions on evidence that validates the outcome of each patient’s health issue. It is in this milieu that autism and the anti-vaccine groups still do battle. In 1998, Lancet, a usually respectable and reputable English journal, published Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s opinion that the measles, mumps, rubella (German measles) vaccine injected into the arms of children caused inflammation, leading to harmful chemicals entering the bloodstream through the gut (intestine). These factors, he said, traveled to the brain, where the harmful chemicals/toxins caused autism. In the face of this “fake news” about the source of autism and measles, the vaccination rate for measles dropped in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

scholarly journals Utility of the first few100 approach during the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic in the Netherlands

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianne B van Gageldonk-Lafeber ◽  
Marianne AB van der Sande ◽  
Adam Meijer ◽  
Ingrid HM Friesema ◽  
Gé A Donker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
H1n1 Pandemic ◽  
Influenza A H1n1

Transmission and control in an institutional pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009 outbreak

2011 ◽  
Vol 140 (6) ◽  
pp. 1102-1110 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. ARINAMINPATHY ◽  
N. RAPHAELY ◽  
L. SALDANA ◽  
C. HODGEKISS ◽  
J. DANDRIDGE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Pandemic Influenza ◽  
Summer School ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Influenza A H1n1 ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARYA pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009 outbreak in a summer school affected 117/276 (42%) students. Residential social contact was associated with risk of infection, and there was no evidence for transmission associated with the classroom setting. Although the summer school had new admissions each week, which provided susceptible students the outbreak was controlled using routine infection control measures (isolation of cases, basic hygiene measures and avoidance of particularly high-risk social events) and prompt treatment of cases. This was in the absence of chemoprophylaxis or vaccination and without altering the basic educational activities of the school. Modelling of the outbreak allowed estimation of the impact of interventions on transmission. These models and follow-up surveillance supported the effectiveness of routine infection control measures to stop the spread of influenza even in this high-risk setting for transmission.

scholarly journals Can Major Public Health Emergencies Affect Changes in International Oil Prices?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 12955
Author(s):  
An Cheng ◽  
Tonghui Chen ◽  
Guogang Jiang ◽  
Xinru Han
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
Monthly Data ◽  
Wild Poliovirus ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Influenza A H1n1 ◽  
Abrupt Changes ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
The Impact

In order to deepen the understanding of the impact of major public health emergencies on the oil market and to enhance the risk response capability, this study analyzed the logical relationship between major public health emergencies and international oil price changes, identified the change points, and calculated the probability of abrupt changes to international oil prices. Based on monthly data during six major public health emergencies from 2009 to 2020, this study built a product partition model. The results show that only the influenza A (H1N1) and COVID-19 pandemics were significant reasons for abrupt changes in international oil prices. Furthermore, the wild poliovirus epidemic, the Ebola epidemic, the Zika epidemic, and the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had limited effects. Overall, the outbreak of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in major global economies has a more pronounced impact on international oil prices.

Comparison between Covid-19 and influenza A(H1N1) pandemic experiences and risk perception in Mexican university

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Ingris Peláez-Ballestas ◽  
Claudia Infante-Castañeda ◽  
Liliana Giraldo-Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Influenza A ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
H1n1 Pandemic ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Preventive Behaviors ◽  
Family Economy ◽  
Influenza A H1n1 ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Mental Health Effects ◽  
The Impact

Objective. To compare the perceptions and experiences between the A(H1N1) and Covid-19 pandemics in a univer­sity population. Materials and methods. Online surveys were administered during the influenza A(H1N1) –originated in Mexico in 2009– and Covid-19 epidemics. Measures: so­ciodemographic characteristics, knowledge, information and communication, perception of risk, physical and mental health, effects on daily life, and preventive behaviors. Results. This study included 24 998 respondents, 51.36% from the A(H1N1) group and 48.63% from the Covid-19 group. Differences were observed in the perception of severity. During the influenza A(H1N1) pandemic worry was the feeling reported most frequently, while for Covid-19 it was anxiety. Covid-19 had greater impact on students’ family economy and caused a higher uncertainty. Conclusions. The perceptions and ex­periences of the two pandemics were similar but the impact has been much greater for Covid-19, especially in terms of the severity, family economy, preventive behaviors, and uncertainty

Occupational and public health considerations for work-hour limitations policy regarding public health workers during response to natural and human-caused disasters

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murray R. Berkowitz, DO, MA, MS, MPH
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
The Public ◽  
Safety Concerns ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Public Health Workers ◽  
Work Hour ◽  
The Impact

This article examines the occupational health considerations that might impact the health and wellbeing of public health workers during responses to natural (eg, floods and hurricanes) and humancaused (eg, terrorism, war, and shootings) disasters. There are a number of articles in the medical literature that argue the impact of how working long hours by house staff physicians, nurses, and first-responders may pose health and safety concerns regarding the patients being treated. The question examined here is how working long hours may pose health and/or safety concerns for the public health workers themselves, as well as to those in the communities they serve. The health problems related to sleep deprivation are reviewed. Current policies and legislations regarding work-hour limitations are examined. Policy implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Influenza H1N1 2009 in Canterbury: a case study in pandemic response co-ordination

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Williams ◽  
Annabel Begg ◽  
Kim Burgess ◽  
Michele Hider ◽  
Lance Jennings ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Influenza A H1n1 ◽  
Civil Defence ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT: Reviews of overseas pandemic responses have suggested that stronger links between primary care and other parts of the health sector are required. The influenza A (H1N1) 2009 (‘H1N1 09’) pandemic was the first real test of New Zealand’s pandemic preparedness. ASSESSMENT OF PROBLEM: In the six months from May to October 2009, there were 595 confirmed cases of H1N1 09 in Canterbury, with 187 hospitalisations and three deaths. This paper describes the way a range of Canterbury agencies worked together in a co-ordinated health-led response aimed at minimising the impact of H1N1 09 in the community and maintaining effective health care services for both influenza and non-influenza patients. STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVEMENT: Key strategies included sector-wide response co-ordination, intelligence and communications, a combined public health/primary care response during the ‘containment’ phase, and universal red/green streaming supported by dedicated ’flu centres and an 0800 call centre during the ‘manage it’ phase. LESSONS: Despite the considerable impact of the H1N1 09 virus in Canterbury, health care services were not overwhelmed. The key lesson learned from the Canterbury H1N1 09 response has been the importance of preparing and working together across the sector. KEYWORDS: Influenza, human; pandemic; primary health care; public health; mass media; civil defence

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