scholarly journals Patterns of Ecological Adaptation of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus and Stegomyia Indices Highlight the Potential Risk of Arbovirus Transmission in Yaoundé, the Capital City of Cameroon

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 491
Author(s):  
Armel N. Tedjou ◽  
Basile Kamgang ◽  
Aurélie P. Yougang ◽  
Theodel A. Wilson-Bahun ◽  
Flobert Njiokou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Potential Risk ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Capital City ◽  
World Health ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Prevalent Species

The dynamic of arbovirus vectors such as Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus remains poorly understood in large cities in central Africa. Here, we compared the larval ecology, geographical distribution and degree of infestation of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon, and estimated their Stegomyia indices revealing a significant potential risk of arbovirus transmission. An entomological survey was conducted in April–May 2018 in a cluster of houses randomly selected. Each selected house was inspected, the number of inhabitants was recorded, and potential and positive containers for Aedes were characterized. Stegomyia and pupae-based indices were estimated. Overall, 447 houses and 954 containers were inspected comprising 10,801 immature stages of Aedes with 84.95% of Ae. albopictus and 15.05% of Ae. aegypti. Both species bred mainly in discarded tanks and used tyres, associated with turbid water and the presence of plant debris inside containers. Aedes albopictus was the most prevalent species in almost all neighbourhoods. The house index, Breteau index, and container index were higher for Ae. albopictus (38.26%, 71.81%, and 29.61%) compared to those of Ae. aegypti (25.73%, 40.93%, and 16.88%). These indices are high compared to the thresholds established by Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization, which suggests a high potential risk of arbovirus transmission.

scholarly journals Assessment of mosquito insecticidal activity of bacterial extracts produced by Colombian strains

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (7A) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Agudelo-Restrepo ◽  
Martha Lucia Hernández‐Quesada ◽  
Edinson Yonny Sanabria-Duran ◽  
Sandra Inés Uribe-Soto ◽  
Adriana Ortiz-Reyes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Serratia Marcescens ◽  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Insecticidal Activity ◽  
Mosquito Control ◽  
World Health ◽  
Identification System ◽  
Control Disease ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Emergence Of Resistance

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are the major vectors for the transmission of more than 30 disease-causing viruses as dengue fever, dengue hemorragic fever, zika, yellow fever and chikungunya. Vector control is one of the important strategies used in order to fight these diseases in tropical and subtropical countries. However, mosquito control is facing a threat because of the emergence of resistance to synthetic insecticides. The aim of this study was to identify larvicidal and adulticidal activity of secondary metabolites in extracts produced by bacteria isolated from different sources in Colombia. A total of 105 extracts produced from the same number of bacteria were evaluated for their activity against fourth instar larvae and adults of A. aegypti and A. albopictus using standard protocols defined for the WHO (World Health Organization) and CDC (Control Disease Centre, USA). Six extracts showed relevant activity (more than 50% of mosquito larvae were killed after 48 hours), two of them showed to be actives against larvae of Aedes aegypti and four against larvae of Aedes albopictus. None of the extracts showed activity against the mosquitoes in adult stage. The bacteria producing active extracts were identified using the biolog ® identification system as Serratia marcescens ss marcescens, Escherichia hermannii, Serratia marcescens ss marcescens, Bacillus marisflavi, Bacillus atropheus/subtilis and Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aurantiaca. In conclusion, bacterial extracts are a good source for the search of new strategies in the control of mosquitoes. Further studies to determine the compound responsible for the insecticidal activity are in progress.

STEVIA PLANT - ALTERNATIVE SWEETNER IN FOOD TECHNOLOGY

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 1213-1217
Author(s):  
Jovana Džoljić ◽  
Ljiljana Đorđević
Keyword(s):  
Food Additives ◽  
Functional Class ◽  
World Health ◽  
Food Technology ◽  
Food Standards ◽  
Safety Studies ◽  
Negative Side Effects ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Agricultural Organization

Food and Agricultural Organization as a “sweeteners” consider products used for sweetening derived from sugar crops, cereals, fruits or milk, or that are produced by insects. Sweeteners, as an additive, have important role for technological functions of food, especially in providing texture, bulk and color, and also as preservative agents. Regardless the numerous sweeteners, alternative sweeteners to sucrose are in main focus for implementation in food industry. Nowadays Food and Agricultural Organization and World Health Organization Food standards, Codex Alimentarius Commission (2018) accepted list of 27 food additives that have the functional class “sweetener”. Nowadays, alternative sweeteners and their application in food technology are in main focus of scientist. Stevia plant stands for one of the most important natural intense sweetener, since stevia glycosides are almost 400 times sweeter than sucrose. Extracts of stevia represents a powerful tool for reducing sugars in food and beverages, which can be acceptable substitutes to full sugar versions of this products. Regarding the data of Euromonitor international, new food products containing stevia grew 10% from 2016 to 2017. The biggest increment in stevia use was noticed in categories of snacks, juice drinks, dairy, carbonated soft drinks and confectionery. Barriocanal et al. (2008) highlighted that safety studies reported no negative side effects of stevia use. Can be expected that in recent future use of S. rebaudiana as sweetener would be extended to almost all the world’s countries, regarding all discovered beneficial health effects.

scholarly journals A living WHO guideline on drugs to prevent covid-19

BMJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. n526
Author(s):  
François Lamontagne ◽  
Thomas Agoritsas ◽  
Reed Siemieniuk ◽  
Bram Rochwerg ◽  
Jessica Bartoszko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Guideline Development ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
World Health ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Assessment Development ◽  
Research Priority ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Drug Interventions

Abstract Clinical question What is the role of drugs in preventing covid-19? Why does this matter? There is widespread interest in whether drug interventions can be used for the prevention of covid-19, but there is uncertainty about which drugs, if any, are effective. The first version of this living guideline focuses on the evidence for hydroxychloroquine. Subsequent updates will cover other drugs being investigated for their role in the prevention of covid-19. Recommendation The guideline development panel made a strong recommendation against the use of hydroxychloroquine for individuals who do not have covid-19 (high certainty). How this guideline was created This living guideline is from the World Health Organization (WHO) and provides up to date covid-19 guidance to inform policy and practice worldwide. Magic Evidence Ecosystem Foundation (MAGIC) provided methodological support. A living systematic review with network analysis informed the recommendations. An international guideline development panel of content experts, clinicians, patients, an ethicist and methodologists produced recommendations following standards for trustworthy guideline development using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Understanding the new recommendation The linked systematic review and network meta-analysis (6 trials and 6059 participants) found that hydroxychloroquine had a small or no effect on mortality and admission to hospital (high certainty evidence). There was a small or no effect on laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (moderate certainty evidence) but probably increased adverse events leading to discontinuation (moderate certainty evidence). The panel judged that almost all people would not consider this drug worthwhile. In addition, the panel decided that contextual factors such as resources, feasibility, acceptability, and equity for countries and healthcare systems were unlikely to alter the recommendation. The panel considers that this drug is no longer a research priority and that resources should rather be oriented to evaluate other more promising drugs to prevent covid-19. Updates This is a living guideline. New recommendations will be published in this article and signposted by update notices to this guideline. Readers note This is the first version of the living guideline for drugs to prevent covid-19. It complements the WHO living guideline on drugs to treat covid-19. When citing this article, please consider adding the update number and date of access for clarity.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Face Masks in Reducing the Spread of COVID-19: A Model-Based Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 0272989X2110190
Author(s):  
Isabelle J. Rao ◽  
Jacqueline J. Vallon ◽  
Margaret L. Brandeau
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Infected Individual ◽  
Disease Model ◽  
World Health ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Mask Effectiveness

Background The World Health Organization and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that both infected and susceptible people wear face masks to protect against COVID-19. Methods We develop a dynamic disease model to assess the effectiveness of face masks in reducing the spread of COVID-19, during an initial outbreak and a later resurgence, as a function of mask effectiveness, coverage, intervention timing, and time horizon. We instantiate the model for the COVID-19 outbreak in New York, with sensitivity analyses on key natural history parameters. Results During the initial epidemic outbreak, with no social distancing, only 100% coverage of masks with high effectiveness can reduce the effective reproductive number [Formula: see text] below 1. During a resurgence, with lowered transmission rates due to social distancing measures, masks with medium effectiveness at 80% coverage can reduce [Formula: see text] below 1 but cannot do so if individuals relax social distancing efforts. Full mask coverage could significantly improve outcomes during a resurgence: with social distancing, masks with at least medium effectiveness could reduce [Formula: see text] below 1 and avert almost all infections, even with intervention fatigue. For coverage levels below 100%, prioritizing masks that reduce the risk of an infected individual from spreading the infection rather than the risk of a susceptible individual from getting infected yields the greatest benefit. Limitations Data regarding COVID-19 transmission are uncertain, and empirical evidence on mask effectiveness is limited. Our analyses assume homogeneous mixing, providing an upper bound on mask effectiveness. Conclusions Even moderately effective face masks can play a role in reducing the spread of COVID-19, particularly with full coverage, but should be combined with social distancing measures to reduce [Formula: see text] below 1. [Box: see text]

Food advertising during children’s television programmes in Italy

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Silvano Gallus ◽  
Elisa Borroni ◽  
Chiara Stival ◽  
Sharanpreet Kaur ◽  
Sofia Davoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Product ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Children's Television ◽  
World Health ◽  
Nutritional Values ◽  
International Guidelines ◽  
Food Advertisements ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Objective: Previous studies from European countries noted that food products promoted on TV for children did not comply with international guidelines, including the World Health Organization European Nutrient Profile Model (WHO-ENPM) and the EU Pledge Nutrition Criteria (EU-PNC, an initiative developed by leading food companies). We aim to provide new data from Italy. Design: Evaluation of Italian TV advertisements. Data on nutritional values for food product advertised were compared with nutritional standards issued by the WHO-ENPM and the EU-PNC. Setting: In total, 180 h of TV programmes from six Italian channels, 2016–2017. Participants: Eight hundred and ten consecutive advertisements during children’s programmes. Results: Out of 810 advertisements, 90 (11·1 %) referred to food products. Among these, 84·5 % of the foods promoted did not meet the WHO-ENPM and 55·6 % the EU-PNC guidelines. Advertisements promoting sweet and salty snacks (i.e. ≥ 70 % of all foods) v. other food products showed higher non-compliance with both the WHO-ENPM (OR: 73·8; 95 % CI: 4·09, 1330) and the EU-PNC (OR: 9·21; 95 % CI: 2·82, 30·1). Conclusions: In Italy, most food advertisements during children’s programmes are not compliant with European nutritional standards. Almost all the advertisements for snacks do not meet international guidelines. As the WHO-ENPM guidelines do not propose standards for all the food products, including meals, there is an urgent need to define independent and easy-to-read guidelines for food advertisements targeting children. As a first step towards the complete ban of food advertisements targeting children recommended by other researchers, these guidelines should be enforced by all the TV broadcasts.

scholarly journals COVID-19 pandemic: A review of the global lockdown and its far-reaching effects

2021 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 003685042110198
Author(s):  
Helen Onyeaka ◽  
Christian K Anumudu ◽  
Zainab T Al-Sharify ◽  
Esther Egele-Godswill ◽  
Paul Mbaegbu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
World Health ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The World ◽  
Education Delivery ◽  
Environmental Air ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact

COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 11th of March 2020, leading to some form of lockdown across almost all countries of the world. The extent of the global pandemic due to COVID-19 has a significant impact on our lives that must be studied carefully to combat it. This study highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on crucial aspects of daily life globally, including; Food security, Global economy, Education, Tourism, hospitality, sports and leisure, Gender Relation, Domestic Violence/Abuse, Mental Health and Environmental air pollution through a systematic search of the literature. The COVID-19 global lockdown was initiated to stem the spread of the virus and ‘flatten the curve’ of the pandemic. However, the impact of the lockdown has had far-reaching effects in different strata of life, including; changes in the accessibility and structure of education delivery to students, food insecurity as a result of unavailability and fluctuation in prices, the depression of the global economy, increase in mental health challenges, wellbeing and quality of life amongst others. This review article highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown across the globe. As the global lockdown is being lifted in a phased manner in various countries of the world, it is necessary to explore its impacts to understand its consequences comprehensively. This will guide future decisions that will be made in a possible future wave of the COVID-19 pandemic or other global disease outbreak.

scholarly journals Malaria continues to select for sickle cell trait in Central Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (22) ◽  
pp. 7051-7054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Elguero ◽  
Lucrèce M. Délicat-Loembet ◽  
Virginie Rougeron ◽  
Céline Arnathau ◽  
Benjamin Roche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Sickle Cell Trait ◽  
Genetic Disorder ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
The United States ◽  
Malaria Prevalence ◽  
Current Data ◽  
World Health ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Health Organization

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder that poses a serious health threat in tropical Africa, which the World Health Organization has declared a public health priority. Its persistence in human populations has been attributed to the resistance it provides to Plasmodium falciparum malaria in its heterozygous state, called sickle cell trait (SCT). Because of migration, SCT is becoming common outside tropical countries: It is now the most important genetic disorder in France, affecting one birth for every 2,400, and one of the most common in the United States. We assess the strength of the association between SCT and malaria, using current data for both SCT and malaria infections. A total of 3,959 blood samples from 195 villages distributed over the entire Republic of Gabon were analyzed. Hemoglobin variants were identified by using HPLCy (HPLC). Infections by three species of Plasmodium were detected by PCR followed by sequencing of a 201-bp fragment of cytochrome b. An increase of 10% in P. falciparum malaria prevalence is associated with an increase by 4.3% of SCT carriers. An increase of 10 y of age is associated with an increase by 5.5% of SCT carriers. Sex is not associated with SCT. These strong associations show that malaria remains a selective factor in current human populations, despite the progress of medicine and the actions undertaken to fight this disease. Our results provide evidence that evolution is still present in humans, although this is sometimes questioned by scientific, political, or religious personalities.

TIRYAQ-E-ARBA (A POLY HERBAL UNANI FORMULATION) IN FIGHTING AGAINST COVID 19 LIKE CONDITIONS – UNANI PERSPECTIVE

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nafisa Qibriya Khan ◽  
A. H. Farooqui ◽  
Syed Ayesha Fatima ◽  
Jalil Ahmad ◽  
Tausif S. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Transmission Rate ◽  
Multiple Organ ◽  
World Health ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Unani Medicine ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Almost All

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic disease of modern time with unique and rapid transmission rate and affected almost all the nations without respecting any border. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is arguably the biggest health crisis the world has faced in 21st century. It is an infectious disease and declared pandemic by the World Health Organization. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, China, has now spread to 192 countries and administrative regions infecting nearly 800,000 individuals of all ages as of 31 March 2020. Though most infected individuals exhibit mild symptoms including fever, upper respiratory tract symptoms, shortness of breath, and diarrhoea, or are asymptomatic altogether, severe cases of infection can lead to pneumonia, multiple organ failure, and death. Globally, at least 7900 deaths have been directly attributed to COVID19, and this number is expected to rise with the ongoing epidemic. This is particularly crucial as the current outbreak involves a new pathogen (SARS-CoV-2), on which limited knowledge exists of its infectivity and clinical profile. Research is in progress on therapeutic efficacy of various agents including anti-malarials (Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine), antiviral drugs, and convalescent serum of recovered patients. Unani system of medicine is one of the traditional systems of medicine which is being explored for providing preventive, supportive and rehabilitative care to patients. Unani system of medicine has a detailed description of drugs that are utilized in many infectious diseases, including respiratory infections. Immune response is essential to eliminate virus and to preclude disease progression to severe stages. Therefore, it is important to summarize the evidence regarding the preventive measures, control options such as immune-stimulator and prophylactic treatment in Unani medicine against Covid19. This review summarizes various pharmacological actions of Unani formulation Tiryaq-e-Arba in Unani literature and various reported pharmacological activities which can possibly provide prevention, control and reduction of complications of this deadly disease.

scholarly journals New Normal: An Hrm Perspective of Post COVID-19 in the Airline Industry

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan Imam
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Airline Industry ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Almost All

In January 2020, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency and announced a new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which would later go on to be declared as a pandemic, changing the global sphere and placing the economies of almost all countries under heavy stress. The airline industry, that had just begun recovering after facing crises one after another in the last two decades, from early 2000 due to 9/11, to the global financial crisis later, is now oce again facing an enormous challenge of closed borders and greater lockdowns due to the pandemic. Borders are closed, with very few planes are in the air, while the rest are grounded. The purpose of this paper is to give a conceptual understanding of the current pandemic situation and its consequences on the airline industry. The paper takes a unique perspective of human resource management (HRM) that is rarely used in the airline industry.

scholarly journals Advances in the Treatment of Yaws

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Marks
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
World Health ◽  
South East Asia ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
West And Central Africa ◽  
Resistance To Penicillin ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Oral Azithromycin

Yaws is one of the three endemic treponematoses and is recognised by the World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease. Yaws is currently reported in 15 countries in the Pacific, South-East Asia, West and Central Africa, predominantly affects children, and results in destructive lesions of the skin and soft tissues. For most of the twentieth century penicillin-based treatment was the standard of care and resistance to penicillin has still not been described. Recently, oral azithromycin has been shown to be an effective treatment for yaws, facilitating renewed yaws eradication efforts. Resistance to azithromycin is an emerging threat and close surveillance will be required as yaws eradication efforts are scaled up globally.

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