scholarly journals Risk assessment of Ebola Reston virus in humans in the Philippines

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Johnette Agpoon Peñas ◽  
Mary Elizabeth Miranda ◽  
Vikki Carr de los Reyes ◽  
Rio Magpantay ◽  
Ma. Nemia Sucaldito

Objective: There have been five documented outbreaks of Ebola Reston virus (RESTV) in animals epidemiologically linked to the Philippines. This assessment was conducted to determine the risk of RESTV occurring in humans in the Philippines and its potential pathogenicity in humans. Methods: The World Health Organization Rapid Risk Assessment of Acute Public Health Events Manual was used for the assessment. A literature review was done and a risk assessment matrix was used for the risk characterization of the outbreaks in the Philippines. The risk assessment was conducted by the Philippines Field Epidemiology Training Program. Results: The risk of RESTV occurring in humans in the Philippines and its potential pathogenicity in humans were both assessed as moderate. Animals involved in RESTV outbreaks in the Philippines were non-human primates and domestic pigs. The presence of RESTV in pigs poses a possibility of genetic evolution of the virus. Although RESTV has been identified in humans, there was no death or illness attributed to the infection. The Philippines Inter-agency Committee on Zoonoses oversees collaboration between the animal and human health sectors for the prevention and control of zoonoses. However, there is no surveillance of risk animals or previously affected farms to monitor and facilitate early identification of cases. Discussion: The moderate risk of RESTV recurring among humans in the Philippines and its potential pathogenicity in humans reinforces the need for early detection, surveillance and continued studies of RESTV pathogenesis and its health consequences. The One Health approach, with the involvement and coordination of public health, veterinary services and the community, is essential in the detection, control and management of zoonosis.

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1-2 ◽  
Author(s):  
J C Desenclos

In May 2005 the World Health Assembly approved an innovative and ambitious revision of the International Health Regulations, known as IHR(2005), in order to detect and control, in a timely manner, all public health events that may have a serious international impact. It represents a dramatic move from administrative notification by Member States (MS) to the World Health Organization (WHO) of cases of a limited list of diseases to a systematic analysis of health events of international concern, infectious or not [1]. The analysis of the public health events will take into account severity, unexpectedness, potential for international spread, and interference with international movement of people and goods. National focal points are to be identified in each MS to interact with WHO. The philosophy behind the new IHR is to promote early dialogue between MS and WHO, leading to early mutual risk assessment of events which may not necessarily have to be notified, depending on the results of the assessment and measures taken. WHO can also use informal sources to detect earlier events of international concern and then, together with the national focal point, conduct verification, risk assessment and implement appropriate measures.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e2014070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgia Sulis ◽  
Alberto Roggi ◽  
Alberto Matteelli ◽  
Mario C. Raviglione

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern worldwide: despite a regular, although slow, decline in incidence over the last decade, as many as 8.6 million new cases and 1.3 million deaths were estimated to have occurred in 2012. TB is by all means a poverty-related disease, mainly affecting the most vulnerable populations in the poorest countries. The presence of multidrug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis in most countries, with some where prevalence is high, is among the major challenges for TB control, which may hinder recent achievements especially in some settings. Early TB case detection especially in resource-constrained settings and in marginalized groups remains a challenge, and about 3 million people are estimated to remain undiagnosed or not notified and untreated. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently launched the new global TB strategy for the “post-2015 era” aimed at “ending the global TB epidemic” by 2035, based on the three pillars that emphasize patient-centred TB care and prevention, bold policies and supportive systems, and intensified research and innovation.This paper aims to provide an overview of the global TB epidemiology as well as of the main challenges that must be faced to eliminate the disease as a public health problem everywhere.


Author(s):  
Jeff Clyde G Corpuz

Abstract The current public health crisis has radically altered the social and civic involvement in Southeast Asia. Although the virus has shifted the landscape of engagement, it has not dampened the enthusiasm of the public. In 2020–2021, more people than ever seem to be paying attention and even getting involved in activism. Many dramatic events happened during the coronavirus crisis such as from protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, public activism around the environment, economic inequality, authoritarianism and human rights violations. In Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and just recently Myanmar. The journal has lately published about the ‘Relationship of George Floyd protests to increases in COVID-19 cases using event study methodology’ and it has rightly expressed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recommended social distancing guidelines must be followed in a protest situation. In response to the situation of social activism in Southeast Asia, one must follow the CDC-recommended and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in the Region. Although protesting is an individual human right, one must also be cautious and be aware of the deadly virus since we are still in a pandemic and the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Kamarul Imran Musa ◽  
Jafri Malin Abdullah

The recent spike of transmissibility of COVID-19 was evident by a large number of COVID-19 cases and apparent quick spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the state of Sabah, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia. The question remains as to what are the main contributory factors for the impending COVID-19 second wave in Malaysia and why the current surveillance system fails to show signs of the impending second — or the third — COVID-19 wave. In public health surveillance, data are the ultimate indicator, and in the era of big data and the Industrial Revolution 4.0, data has become a valuable commodity. The COVID-19 data keeper must fulfil some criteria to ensure COVID-19 data are useful. Researchers are obligated to share their COVID-19 data responsibly. The surveillance for COVID-19 is paramount, and the guidelines such as the one published by the World Health Organization ‘Public health surveillance for COVID-19: interim guidance’ must be referred to. Data must be taken seriously and shared to enable scientists, clinicians, epidemiologists and public health experts fight COVID-19.


Author(s):  
Jingya Xu ◽  
Xiling Lin ◽  
Xiaowen Pan ◽  
Xin Huang ◽  
Ying Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The ongoing outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to declaration of public health emergency of international concern by World Health Organization and the first-level public health emergency response in China. We aimed to share the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism taken in Mainland China and evaluate the effectiveness.Methods A powerful Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism was adopted to fight against COVID-19 in Mainland China. Data were collected from the daily epidemic reports released by the national and provincial health commissions of China from January 21 to April 6, 2020. Global data were collected from daily situation reports by World Health Organization.Results As of April 6, 2020, there were 81,740 confirmed COVID-19 cases (32 new) in Mainland China. The case fatality ratio was 4.74% and 0.85% in and outside Hubei respectively. It is gratifying to see that there were up to 22 provinces reporting zero new infections, but it can’t be ignored that there were 1,196,651 confirmed cases (68,700 new) reported in over 221 countries and territories outside China and the total death number were 69,274, nowadays China is facing great challenges of imported cases.Conclusions Great achievements have been made in controlling the spread of COVID-19 in Mainland China, but it is still a major challenge worldwide. The comprehensive and powerful control measures taken by Mainland China have proved to be effective and might be applicable to other regions.


Author(s):  
Gabrielle Laing ◽  
Marco Antonio Natal Vigilato ◽  
Sarah Cleaveland ◽  
S M Thumbi ◽  
Lucille Blumberg ◽  
...  

Abstract The forthcoming World Health Organization road map for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) 2021–2030 recognises the complexity surrounding control and elimination of these 20 diseases of poverty. It emphasises the need for a paradigm shift from disease-specific interventions to holistic cross-cutting approaches coordinating with adjacent disciplines. The One Health approach exemplifies this shift, extending beyond a conventional model of zoonotic disease control to consider the interactions of human and animal health systems within their shared environment and the wider social and economic context. This approach can also promote sustainability and resilience within these systems. To achieve the global ambition on NTD elimination and control, political will, along with contextualised innovative scientific strategies, is required.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 707-712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly G. Vest

AbstractSince February 2015, Zika virus has spread throughout the Western Hemisphere, starting in Brazil. As of March 2016, autochthonous transmission has been reported in at least 31 countries or territories. For countries in the Americas, the spread of Zika virus, a previously unfamiliar disease, follows similar emerging infection introductions of West Nile virus and Chikungunya virus and their spread throughout the American continents and the Caribbean nations. The Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization have issued alerts and a Public Health Emergency of International Concern announcement related to the recent cluster of microcephaly cases and other neurological disorders in Brazil that are temporally associated with Zika virus, which highlights the possible adverse impact of viral infection. This article provides an overview of the Zika virus infection and presents the historical background of the virus, a description of the pathogen, the epidemiology and clinical spectrum of Zika virus infection, diagnosis and treatment approaches, and prevention and control measures. Understanding what is known about the virus and its clinical presentation will assist in prevention, detection, and response measures to reduce and control the spread of the virus throughout the Western Hemisphere. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;page 1 of 6)


Author(s):  
Luigi Cirrincione ◽  
Venerando Rapisarda ◽  
Walter Mazzucco ◽  
Rosanna Provenzano ◽  
Emanuele Cannizzaro

In December 2019, several cases of atypical pneumonia were detected in Wuhan city, Hubei province, inland China. The initial outbreak was of considerable size first in China subsequently spread to the rest of the world. Immediately after the epidemic (which according to the World Health Organization had risen to pandemic status), the problem of whether or not to update the occupational risk assessment arose, also considering how the biological risk from SARS CoV-2 should be understood: specific or generic. To this end, we conducted a literature review to identify national health legislation and policies, examining how Italy has addressed the COVID-19 emergency in occupational health planning, in order to develop considerations on the need to update the Risk Assessment Document following the pandemic status. The data that emerged from the review of current legislation allowed us to conclude that the risk from SARS-CoV-2 is in most work activities to be understood as a generic or aggravated generic risk, requiring the employer to apply and control the preventive measures suggested by health authorities to contain the spread of the virus.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick M. Burkle ◽  
Asha V. Devereaux

AbstractThere have been multiple inconsistencies in the manner the COVID-19 pandemic has been investigated and managed by countries. Population-based management (PBM) has been inconsistent, yet serves as a necessary first step in managing public health crises. Unfortunately, these have dominated the landscape within the United States and continue as of this writing. Political and economic influences have greatly influenced major public health management and control decisions. Responsibility for global public health crises and modeling for management are the responsibility of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Health Regulations Treaty (IHR). This review calls upon both to reassess their roles and responsibilities that must be markedly improved and better replicated world-wide in order to optimize the global public health protections and its PBM.“Ask a big enough question, and you need more than one discipline to answer it.”Liz Lerman, MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Choreographer, Modern Dance legend, and 2011 Artist-in Residence, Harvard Music Department


Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuefei Jin ◽  
Haiyan Yang ◽  
Wangquan Ji ◽  
Weidong Wu ◽  
Shuaiyin Chen ◽  
...  

The outbreak of emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease (COVID-19) in China has been brought to global attention and declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. Scientific advancements since the pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002~2003 and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012 have accelerated our understanding of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and the development of therapeutics to treat viral infection. As no specific therapeutics and vaccines are available for disease control, the epidemic of COVID-19 is posing a great threat for global public health. To provide a comprehensive summary to public health authorities and potential readers worldwide, we detail the present understanding of COVID-19 and introduce the current state of development of measures in this review.


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