Interspecies Jumping of Bat Coronaviruses

In the last two decades, several coronavirus (CoV) interspecies jumping events have occurred between bats and other animals/humans, leading to major epidemics/pandemics and high fatalities. The SARS epidemic in 2002/2003 had a ~10% fatality. The discovery of SARS-related CoVs in horseshoe bats and civets and genomic studies have confirmed bat-to-civet-to-human transmission. The MERS epidemic that emerged in 2012 had a ~35% mortality, with dromedaries as the reservoir. Although CoVs with the same genome organization (e.g., Tylonycteris BatCoV HKU4 and Pipistrellus BatCoV HKU5) were also detected in bats, there is still a phylogenetic gap between these bat CoVs and MERS-CoV. In 2016, 10 years after the discovery of Rhinolophus BatCoV HKU2 in Chinese horseshoe bats, fatal swine disease outbreaks caused by this virus were reported in southern China. In late 2019, an outbreak of pneumonia emerged in Wuhan, China, and rapidly spread globally, leading to >4,000,000 fatalities so far. Although the genome of SARS-CoV-2 is highly similar to that of SARS-CoV, patient zero and the original source of the pandemic are still unknown. To protect humans from future public health threats, measures should be taken to monitor and reduce the chance of interspecies jumping events, either occurring naturally or through recombineering experiments.

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Evaluation of a New Field Epidemiology Training Program Intermediate Course to Strengthen Public Health Workforce Capacity in Tanzania

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/0033354920974663 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003335492097466

Author(s):

Kate Wilson ◽

Amir Juya ◽

Ahmed Abade ◽

Senga Sembuche ◽

Devotha Leonard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Training Program ◽

Health Workforce ◽

Outcome Evaluation ◽

Exit Interviews ◽

Field Epidemiology ◽

Health Threats ◽

Before And After ◽

Workforce Capacity ◽

Field Epidemiology Training Program

Objectives Sub-Saharan Africa faces a shortage of skilled epidemiologists to prevent, detect, and respond to health threats. Tanzania has implemented one of the first Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) Intermediate courses in Africa. This course aims to strengthen health workforce capacity in surveillance system assessment, outbreak investigation, and evaluation, prioritizing HIV control. We conducted an outcome evaluation of this new course. Methods We used a pre/post evaluation design using data from 4 cohorts of trainees who took the FETP Intermediate course from 2017 to 2020. We conducted knowledge assessments before and after each cohort and combined those results. Outcomes included knowledge and self-rated competency and trends in integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR) data. We collected data through tests, field assignments, exit interviews, and data audits. We compared the mean change in pre-/posttest scores using linear regression and 95% CIs. We used content analysis to summarize exit interviews. Results Fifty-three FETP trainees from 10 regions enrolled in the FETP Intermediate course, and 52 (99.0%) completed the course. We found substantial increases in mean knowledge (44.0 to 68.0 points) and self-rated competency (4.14 to 4.43) scores before and after the course. Trainees evaluated 52 surveillance systems and 52 district HIV care programs, and 39 (75.0%) trainees participated in outbreak investigations. From before to after cohort 1, timeliness and completeness of IDSR reports increased from 4.2% to 52.1% and from 27.4% to 76.5%, respectively. Course strengths were quality of instruction, individualized mentoring, and practical skills gained. Challenges were mentor availability, limited time for data analysis practice, and balancing work and field assignments. Conclusions The Tanzania FETP Intermediate course substantially improved trainee knowledge and helped to improve local data quality and reporting. This course is a promising model to strengthen subnational capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats in Africa.

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Peri-urban water, sanitation and hygiene in Lusaka, Zambia: photovoice empowering local assessment via ecological theory

Global Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/1757975921995713 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 175797592199571

Author(s):

Sikopo Nyambe ◽

Taro Yamauchi

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Public Policy ◽

Health Hazard ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Ecological Theory ◽

Urban Slum ◽

Health Concern ◽

Minimal Impact ◽

Sanitation And Hygiene ◽

Definition Of

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) factors are responsible for 11.4% of deaths in Zambia, making WASH a key public health concern. Despite annual waterborne disease outbreaks in the nation’s peri-urban (slum) settlements being linked to poor WASH, few studies have proactively analysed and conceptualised peri-urban WASH and its maintaining factors. Our study aimed to (a) establish residents’ definition of peri-urban WASH and their WASH priorities; and (b) use ecological theory to analyse the peri-urban WASH ecosystem, highlighting maintaining factors. Our study incorporated 16 young people (aged 17–24) residing in peri-urban Lusaka, Zambia in a photovoice exercise. Participants took photographs answering the framing question, ‘What is WASH in your community?’ Then, through contextualisation and basic codifying, participants told the stories of their photographs and made posters to summarise problems and WASH priorities. Participant contextualisation and codifying further underwent theoretical thematic analysis to pinpoint causal factors alongside key players, dissecting the peri-urban WASH ecosystem via the five-tier ecological theory ranging from intrapersonal to public policy levels. Via ecological theory, peri-urban WASH was defined as: (a) poor practice (intrapersonal, interpersonal); (b) a health hazard (community norm); (c) substandard and unregulated (public policy, organisational); and (d) offering hope for change (intrapersonal, interpersonal). Linked to these themes, participant findings revealed a community level gap, with public policy level standards, regulations and implementation having minimal impact on overall peri-urban WASH and public health due to shallow community engagement and poor acknowledgement of the WASH realities of high-density locations. Rather than a top-down approach, participants recommended increased government–resident collaboration, offering residents more ownership and empowerment for intervention, implementation and defending of preferred peri-urban WASH standards.

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Natural disasters and the dengue epidemic during COVID-19 outbreak are a deadly combination for public health threats in Bangladesh

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2020.493 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Rumana Sultana ◽

Md. Shafiul Alam

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Natural Disasters ◽

Health Threats ◽

Dengue Epidemic

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A proposal to leverage high-quality veterinary diagnostic laboratory large data streams for animal health, public health, and One Health

Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation ◽

10.1177/10406387211003088 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 104063872110030

Author(s):

Craig N. Carter ◽

Jacqueline L. Smith

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Data Streams ◽

One Health ◽

Animal Health ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Large Data ◽

Health Impact ◽

The United States ◽

Zoonotic Diseases ◽

Diagnostic Laboratory

Test data generated by ~60 accredited member laboratories of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) is of exceptional quality. These data are captured by 1 of 13 laboratory information management systems (LIMSs) developed specifically for veterinary diagnostic laboratories (VDLs). Beginning ~2000, the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) developed an electronic messaging system for LIMS to automatically send standardized data streams for 14 select agents to a national repository. This messaging enables the U.S. Department of Agriculture to track and respond to high-consequence animal disease outbreaks such as highly pathogenic avian influenza. Because of the lack of standardized data collection in the LIMSs used at VDLs, there is, to date, no means of summarizing VDL large data streams for multi-state and national animal health studies or for providing near-real-time tracking for hundreds of other important animal diseases in the United States that are detected routinely by VDLs. Further, VDLs are the only state and federal resources that can provide early detection and identification of endemic and emerging zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases are estimated to be responsible for 2.5 billion cases of human illness and 2.7 million deaths worldwide every year. The economic and health impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is self-evident. We review here the history and progress of data management in VDLs and discuss ways of seizing unexplored opportunities to advance data leveraging to better serve animal health, public health, and One Health.

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Commissioned Corps Deployments & Family Resiliency

OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing ◽

10.3912/ojin.vol25no01ppt70 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Janice Arceneaux ◽

James Dickens ◽

Wanza Bacon

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health And Safety ◽

United States Public Health ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

The United States ◽

Humanitarian Assistance ◽

Family Resiliency ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

National Public Health ◽

The U.S

Established in 1889, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (Corps) is one of the seven uniformed services and is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Corps is committed to protecting, promoting and advancing the health and safety of the nation with a history that dates back over two centuries, beginning as the U.S. Marine Hospital Service. Today, the Corps responds and serves in many areas impacted by natural disasters, disease outbreaks, terrorist attacks and public health emergencies. Corps officers have deployed to provide assistance during national public health emergencies (e.g., hurricanes, bombings, flooding and wild fires); to combat the Ebola epidemic in West Africa; and to provide humanitarian assistance in Latin America and the Caribbean. Corps deployments impact not only service members but also their families. This article offers a brief overview of the Corps and discusses how deployments impact families. Family resiliency and future implications for research and practice will also be examined.

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Planning and preparing for public health threats at airports

Globalization and Health ◽

10.1186/s12992-018-0323-3 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Greg Martin ◽

Mairin Boland

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Threats

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Epidemiology of meningococcal meningitis in Angola, 1994–2000

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268801006318 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 127 (3) ◽

pp. 421-424 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

M. GASPAR ◽

F. LEITE ◽

L. BRUMANA ◽

B. FÉLIX ◽

A. A. STELLA

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Meningococcal Disease ◽

Age Groups ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Civil Conflict ◽

Polysaccharide Vaccine ◽

Meningococcal Meningitis ◽

Mass Vaccination ◽

Meningitis Belt ◽

Vaccination Campaigns

We describe six meningococcal disease outbreaks that occurred in Angola during the period 1994–2000. In total, 7140 cases were documented. The age groups most affected were 15–29 years and 5–14 years; there were no differences in incidence between the sexes. Circulation of both serogroup A and sporadic serogroup B strains was demonstrated. Mass vaccination campaigns with A+C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine were implemented, except in Yambala province in 1999 where insecure conditions precluded this intervention.Outbreaks of serogroup A meningococcal disease in Angola may indicate an extension of these epidemics outside the meningitis belt. Mass vaccination campaigns stopped the Angolan epidemics within weeks. Civil conflict and displaced persons living in crowded areas created serious difficulties for surveillance and impeded timely public health responses.

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A Comparison of Burden of Disease from Toxic Waste Sites with other Recognized Public Health Threats in India, Indonesia and the Philippines

Journal of Health and Pollution ◽

10.5696/2156-9614-4-7.2 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 4 (7) ◽

pp. 2-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jack Caravanos ◽

Lina Hernandez Gutierrez ◽

Bret Ericson ◽

Richard Fuller

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Burden Of Disease ◽

Chemical Exposure ◽

The Philippines ◽

Toxic Waste ◽

World Health ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Chromium Vi ◽

Life Years ◽

Health Threats

Background. Although toxic waste sites have been well investigated in many developed countries, their prevalence and health impact have not been well documented in low and middle income countries where risks attributable to environmental pollution are generally higher than in developed nations. Methods. We compared the burden of disease from toxic waste sites expressed in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) with the same measurement for other threats in India, Indonesia and the Philippines. We used Blacksmith Institute for a Pure Earth's DALY estimates for chemical exposure at 373 toxic waste sites in the 3 countries and World Health Organization (WHO) DALY estimates for different health conditions in the same countries. Results. Chromium VI causes the majority of DALYs among chemicals in India, while lead does so in the Philippines and Indonesia. In India, exposure to chromium VI showed higher DALY estimates than health conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and various cancers. In Indonesia, exposure to chromium VI and lead presented higher DALYs than conditions such as upper respiratory infections. In the Philippines, lead had higher DALYs than most of the examined conditions, including malaria and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS. Conclusions. This study highlights that the burden of disease expressed in DALYs from toxic waste sites may be greater than previously recognized and greater than other well addressed public health threats. We call attention to the need for surveillance of toxic waste sites, epidemiological analysis of the associations between exposure to toxic chemicals and outcomes, and remediation of chemical contamination in India, Indonesia and the Philippines.

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A New Era of Epidemiology: Digital Epidemiology for Investigating the COVID-19 Outbreak in China

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/21685 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (9) ◽

pp. e21685

Author(s):

Zonglin He ◽

Casper J P Zhang ◽

Jian Huang ◽

Jingyan Zhai ◽

Shuang Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Face Mask ◽

Digital Data ◽

Disease Spread ◽

Health Measures ◽

Digital Epidemiology

A novel pneumonia-like coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by a novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 has swept across China and the world. Public health measures that were effective in previous infection outbreaks (eg, wearing a face mask, quarantining) were implemented in this outbreak. Available multidimensional social network data that take advantage of the recent rapid development of information and communication technologies allow for an exploration of disease spread and control via a modernized epidemiological approach. By using spatiotemporal data and real-time information, we can provide more accurate estimates of disease spread patterns related to human activities and enable more efficient responses to the outbreak. Two real cases during the COVID-19 outbreak demonstrated the application of emerging technologies and digital data in monitoring human movements related to disease spread. Although the ethical issues related to using digital epidemiology are still under debate, the cases reported in this article may enable the identification of more effective public health measures, as well as future applications of such digitally directed epidemiological approaches in controlling infectious disease outbreaks, which offer an alternative and modern outlook on addressing the long-standing challenges in population health.

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