scholarly journals Viruses without Borders: Deadly Outbreaks of the 21st Century

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
Mosquito Vectors ◽  
The Past ◽  
International Borders ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Experts

Rapid trends in globalization, increase in population, and genetic diversity of viruses collectively provide grounds for emergence and reemergence of viral outbreaks that are threats to overall continuum of human development. In addition to human factors, environmental factors such as water, soil, mosquito vectors and animals are also contributing to the outbreaks of viral diseases. In the past two decades, we have witnessed some of the deadly viral epidemics of the 21st century such as the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa [1], Yellow Fever outbreak in Angola [2], the 2009 flu pandemic [3]. Dengue Fever [4], and Zika outbreak especially in Brazil [5], just a few to mention. From such outbreaks occurring unpredictably around the world, infectious diseases epidemiologists and global health experts acknowledge viruses have now evolved to rapidly cross international borders. In countries where resources of rapid viral detection and prevention programs are indeed limited, these outbreaks have produced devastating consequences not only overwhelming the local health departments’ capacity to confront the epidemics, but also, they have had serious and measurable devastating effects on economy and human productivity [6].

scholarly journals Toronto’s Health Department in Action: Influenza in 1918 and SARS in 2003

2006 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather MacDougall
Keyword(s):  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
The Past ◽  
International Body ◽  
1918 Influenza

Abstract This article compares the Toronto Health Department’s role in controlling the 1918 influenza epidemic with its activities during the SARS outbreak in 2003 and concludes that local health departments are the foundation for successful disease containment, provided that there is effective coordination, communication, and capacity. In 1918, Toronto’s MOH Charles Hastings was the acknowledged leader of efforts to contain the disease, care for the sick, and develop an effective vaccine, because neither a federal health department nor an international body like WHO existed. During the SARS outbreak, Hastings’s successor, Sheela Basrur, discovered that nearly a decade of underfunding and new policy foci such as health promotion had left the department vulnerable when faced with a potential epidemic. Lack of cooperation by provincial and federal authorities added further difficulties to the challenge of organizing contact tracing, quarantine, and isolation for suspected and probable cases and providing information and reassurance to the multi-ethnic population. With growing concern about a flu pandemic, the lessons of the past provide a foundation for future communicable disease control activities.

Patterns of Cross-Sector Collaboration in Local Health Departments: A Cluster Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 152483992097298
Author(s):  
Alexis K. Grant
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
Structural Determinants ◽  
Cluster Assignment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Top Executive

Local health departments (LHDs) are positioned to act as the community health strategist for their catchment area, which requires cross-sector collaboration. However, little research exists to understand how much and what types of cross-sector collaboration occur and its impact on LHD practice. Data from 490 LHDs who participated in the 2016 National Profile of Local Health Departments survey were analyzed to identify patterns of cross-sector collaboration among LHDs. In the survey, LHDs reported the presence of collaborative activities for each of 22 categories of organizations. Factor analysis was used to identify patterns in the types of organizations with which LHDs collaborate. Then, cluster analysis was conducted to identify patterns in the types of cross-sector collaboration, and cross-sectional analyses examined which LHD characteristics were associated with cluster assignment. LHDs collaborated most with traditional health care–oriented organizations, but less often with organizations focused on upstream determinants of health such as housing. Three distinct clusters represented collaboration patterns in LHDs: coordinators, networkers, and low-collaborators. LHDs who were low-collaborators were more likely to serve smaller populations, be unaccredited, have a smaller workforce, have a White top executive, and have a top executive without a graduate degree. These findings imply that public health practitioners should prioritize building bridges to a variety of organizations and engage in collaboration beyond information sharing. Furthermore, LHDs should prioritize accreditation and workforce development activities for supporting cross-sector collaboration. With these investments, the public health system can better address the social and structural determinants of health and promote health equity.

scholarly journals Actionable lessons for the US COVID vaccine program

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary L. Freed
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Local Health ◽  
National Strategy ◽  
Individual State ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Infrastructure ◽  
Health Infrastructure ◽  
The Us ◽  
Vaccine Distribution

AbstractWhen attempting to provide lessons for other countries from the successful Israeli COVID-19 vaccine experience, it is important to distinguish between the modifiable and non-modifiable components identified in the article by Rosen, et al. Two specific modifiable components included in the Israeli program from which the US can learn are (a) a national (not individual state-based) strategy for vaccine distribution and administration and (b) a functioning public health infrastructure. As a federal government, the US maintains an often complex web of state and national authorities and responsibilities. The federal government assumed responsibility for the ordering, payment and procurement of COVID vaccine from manufacturers. In designing the subsequent steps in their COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration plan, the Trump administration decided to rely on the states themselves to determine how best to implement guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This strategy resulted in 50 different plans and 50 different systems for the dissemination of vaccine doses, all at the level of each individual state. State health departments were neither financed, experienced nor uniformly possessed the expertise to develop and implement such plans. A national strategy for the distribution, and the workforce for the provision, of vaccine beyond the state level, similar to that which occurred in Israel, would have provided for greater efficiency and coordination across the country. The US public health infrastructure was ill-prepared and ill-staffed to take on the responsibility to deliver > 450 million doses of vaccine in an expeditious fashion, even if supply of vaccine was available. The failure to adequately invest in public health has been ubiquitous across the nation at all levels of government. Since the 2008 recession, state and local health departments have lost > 38,000 jobs and spending for state public health departments has dropped by 16% per capita and spending for local health departments has fallen by 18%. Hopefully, COVID-19 will be a wakeup call to the US with regard to the need for both a national strategy to address public health emergencies and the well-maintained infrastructure to make it happen.

scholarly journals Explaining the efficiency of local health departments in the U.S.: an exploratory analysis

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kankana Mukherjee ◽  
Rexford E. Santerre ◽  
Ning Jackie Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Analysis ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
The U.S

Law Librarianship and Legal Information Provision in the 21st Century

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-10 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Legal Education ◽  
Legal Profession ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Legal Information ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn this analysis of the future of our profession, Barbara Tearle starts by looking at the past to see how much the world of legal information has evolved and changed. She considers the nature of the profession today and then identifies key factors which she believes will be of importance in the future, including the impact of globalisation; the potential changes to the legal profession; technology; developments in legal education; increasing commercialisation and changes to the law itself.

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