2015 outbreak of Zika virus disease declared as Public Health Emergency of International Concern: Justification, consequences, and the public health perspective

AbstractBackgroundIt is important to study the concerns over the Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak among the general public in dengue-endemic countries such as Malaysia, as both diseases are transmitted by the same vector species. Furthermore, investigation of public prevention measures for ZIKV is essential in order to identify the gaps in mosquito control practices. The aims of this study were to explore the differences in 1) the perception of severity towards ZIKV infection and dengue fever, and 2) mosquito control practices before and after the ZIKV outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).MethodData were collected between February 2015 and May 2016 using a computer-assisted telephone interviewing system on a random sample of 567 people from the general Malaysian population aged above 18 years from randomly selected households.ResultsThe median scale score for perceived severity of ZIKV was 3 (interquartile range [IQR] 1-5) versus 4 (IQR 3-5) for dengue (P<0.001). The majority perceived dengue as being more severe than ZIKV (41.6%). Having friends or acquaintances that had died from dengue was significantly associated with higher perceived severity of ZIKV than dengue (odds ratio [OR] 1.913 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.032-3.547]). The scores for mosquito control practices before and after ZIKV was declared a PHEIC were similar, at 4 (IQR 3-5). Multivariate analysis revealed that participants with a higher score for perception of severity of ZIKV were more likely to report greater mosquito control practices after the declaration of the PHEIC (OR 1.822 [95% CI 1.107-2.998]).ConclusionsThe emerging ZIKV pandemic requires concerted efforts to enhance mosquito control practices among the Malaysian public. Efforts to improve public mosquito control practices should focus on enhancing the perception of the severity of ZIKV.Author summaryInvestigation of the public perception of the severity of the re-emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Malaysia, a dengue-endemic country, is of immense importance. It is also vital to know whether the public has heightened their mosquito prevention practices after the declaration of ZIKV as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The aim of this study was to explore the differences in 1) the perception of severity towards ZIKV infection and dengue fever, and 2) mosquito control practices before and after the ZIKV outbreak was declared a PHEIC. Findings showed that the public has a lower perception of severity of ZIKV than of dengue. Mosquito prevention practices were the same before and after the declaration of a PHEIC. People with a higher perception of severity of ZIKV reported higher mosquito control practices after the declaration of a PHEIC. The emerging ZIKV pandemic requires concerted efforts to enhance mosquito control practices among the Malaysian public. Efforts to improve public mosquito control practices should focus on enhancing the perception of severity of the ZIKV.

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Emerging Zika virus disease: a public health emergency of global concern

VirusDisease ◽

10.1007/s13337-016-0317-9 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 211-214 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Sai V. Chitti ◽

Anil K. Prasad ◽

Shailendra K. Saxena

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Public Health Emergency ◽

Global Concern

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The global scientific research response to the public health emergency of Zika virus infection

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0229790 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. e0229790 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Juliane Fonseca de Oliveira ◽

Julia Moreira Pescarini ◽

Moreno de Souza Rodrigues ◽

Bethania de Araujo Almeida ◽

Claudio Maierovitch Pessanha Henriques ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Virus Infection ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Scientific Research ◽

Public Health Emergency ◽

The Public ◽

Zika Virus Infection

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Zika virus disease: a public health emergency of international concern

British Journal of Nursing ◽

10.12968/bjon.2016.25.4.198 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 198-202 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Kelly Lupton

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Public Health Emergency

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The application of WeChat App with “group function” in emergency management and treatment of COVID-19 (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.18728 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jing Liu ◽

Hong Shan ◽

Changli Tu ◽

Meizhu Chen ◽

Xiujuan Qu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Group Communication ◽

Public Health Emergency ◽

Diagnosis And Treatment ◽

Labor Costs ◽

Wuhan City ◽

Group Function ◽

The Public ◽

Communication Method ◽

Tertiary Hospitals

UNSTRUCTURED Background: Since December 2019, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan city and rapidly spread throughout China. Facing this kind of public health emergency, an efficient, fast and group communication method is needed. Method: As a director of the department Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in a tertiary hospitals, which is the only designated one for diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 in a medium-sized city, I analyzed and summarized the “group function” of WeChat (Weixin, micro-message) App in working about COVID-19. Results: By February 16, 2020, we have completed 1,526 citywide consultations and treatment of 322 inpatients, including 97 patients diagnosed with COVID-19, with the help of 12 WeChat groups by handy. The advantages of WeChat group are as follows: 1. Work efficiency can be improved greatly, saving labor costs. 2. Accurate and intuitive information can be gotten fast and timely, avoiding close contacting with COVID-19 patients. 3. Data and message in WeChat groups can be saved, arranged and reviewed at any time. Conclusions: The “group function” in WeChat App plays a greater role in the public health emergent work about management, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.

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Development and psychometric assessment of the public health emergency risk perception scale: Under the outbreak of COVID-19

International Journal of Nursing Sciences ◽

10.1016/j.ijnss.2020.12.012 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Zhiying Shen ◽

Zhuqing Zhong ◽

Jianfei Xie ◽

Siqing Ding ◽

Shougen Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Risk Perception ◽

Public Health Emergency ◽

Psychometric Assessment ◽

The Public

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Italian operators' response to the COVID-19 pandemic

ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review ◽

10.1145/3457175.3457180 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 26-31

Author(s):

Massimo Candela ◽

Antonio Prado

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Public Health Emergency ◽

Internet Usage ◽

The Internet ◽

Market Conditions ◽

The Public ◽

Online Activities ◽

Internet Network

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments introduced several social restrictions. As of 18 March 2020, more than 250 million people were in lockdown in Europe. This drastically increased the number of online activities. Due to this unprecedented situation, some concerns arose about the suitability of the Internet network to sustain the increased usage. Italy was severely hit by the first wave of the pandemic and various regions underwent a lockdown before the main country-wide one. The Italian network operators started sharing information about improvements carried out on the network and new measures adopted to support the increase in Internet usage. In this report, by means of a questionnaire, we collect information and provide a quantitative overview of the actions undertaken by network operators in Italy. The attitude of Italian operators was synergic and proactive in supporting the changed market conditions caused by the public health emergency.

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