scholarly journals COVID-19 or Influenza, or Both? A Comparison and Algorithmic Approach to Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdollah Karimi ◽  
Sedigheh Rafiei Tabatabaei ◽  
Farideh Shiva ◽  
Seyedeh Mahsan Hoseinialfatemi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Seasonal Influenza ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
International Health ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Virus Shedding ◽  
The World

Context: First cases of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were reported in December 2019. With more than 100 million confirmed cases 14 months later, the disease has become the worst public-health dilemma of the century. The rapid global spread of COVID-19 has resulted in an international health emergency, threatening to overwhelm health care systems in many parts of the world, especially poor resource countries. Evidence Acquisition: Influenza and COVID-19 have similar clinical symptoms, and both cause a respiratory illness that may vary from mild to severe. Both diseases have the same mode of transmission and require similar public health guidelines to prevent their spread, but their treatment strategies are different. In this study, an algorithmic method is proposed for managing patients according to their symptoms for each of these infections. Results: In fall and winter, infections with seasonal influenza and other respiratory viruses become common. As influenza also causes significant morbidity and mortality, especially at the two extremes of age and in those with compromised immunity, it is of major importance to know the similarities and dissimilarities between COVID-19 and seasonal influenza and plan appropriate public health measures to deal with each of these illnesses. Conclusions: Will there be a devastating combined epidemic of COVID-19 and influenza (COV-Flu) during the 2020 - 2021 season? Does co-infection increase the risk of severe illness or amplify virus shedding? Actually, we do not yet know the answers to these questions; so, in this article, first, we attempt to define the similarities and differences between COV-Flu. Then, we will have a brief discussion on how to manage patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of both diseases. However, as COVID-19 has been recognized as a pandemic since December 2019, the management of this emerging disease is rapidly evolving as new information is collected from different parts of the world.

scholarly journals COVID-19 on the Nile: Review on the Management and Outcomes of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Arab Republic of Egypt from February to August 2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1588
Author(s):  
Yai-Ellen Gaye ◽  
Christopher Agbajogu ◽  
Reida El Oakley
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
International Health ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
World Health ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
The World ◽  
The Government ◽  
Health Organization

As the world fights the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 17 million people globally were infected with SARS-CoV-2 as of 1 August 2020. Although infections are asymptomatic in 80% of cases, severe respiratory illness occurs in 20% of cases, requiring hospitalization and highly specialized intensive care. The WHO, under the International Health Regulations, declared this pandemic a public health emergency of international concern; it has affected nearly all health systems worldwide. The health system in Egypt, similar to many others, was severely challenged when confronted with the need for urgent and major expansion required to manage such a significant pandemic. This review uses publicly available data to provide an epidemiological summary of the COVID-19 pandemic behavior during the first wave of the outbreak in Egypt. The article covers mathematical modeling predictions, Egypt’s healthcare system, economic and social impacts of COVID-19, as well as national responses that were crucial to the initial containment of the pandemic. We observed how the government managed the outbreak by enhancing testing capacity, contact tracing, announcing public health and social measures (PHSMs), as well as allocating extra funds and human resources to contain SARS-COV-2. Prospectively, economic losses from major sources of revenues—tourism, travel, and trade—may be reflected in future timelines, as Egypt continues to control cases and loss of life from COVID-19. Overall, trends indicate that the spread of COVID-19 in Egypt was initially contained. Revalidation of prediction models and follow-up studies may reveal the aftermath of the pandemic and how well it was managed in Egypt.

Organization of restrictive quarantine measures to prevent especially dangerous infections

2020 ◽  
pp. 6-11
Author(s):  
Petr Ilyin
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
International Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Entire History ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Former Ussr ◽  
Health Regulations

Especially dangerous infections (EDIs) belong to the conditionally labelled group of infectious diseases that pose an exceptional epidemic threat. They are highly contagious, rapidly spreading and capable of affecting wide sections of the population in the shortest possible time, they are characterized by the severity of clinical symptoms and high mortality rates. At the present stage, the term "especially dangerous infections" is used only in the territory of the countries of the former USSR, all over the world this concept is defined as "infectious diseases that pose an extreme threat to public health on an international scale." Over the entire history of human development, more people have died as a result of epidemics and pandemics than in all wars combined. The list of especially dangerous infections and measures to prevent their spread were fixed in the International Health Regulations (IHR), adopted at the 22nd session of the WHO's World Health Assembly on July 26, 1969. In 1970, at the 23rd session of the WHO's Assembly, typhus and relapsing fever were excluded from the list of quarantine infections. As amended in 1981, the list included only three diseases represented by plague, cholera and anthrax. However, now annual additions of new infections endemic to different parts of the earth to this list take place. To date, the World Health Organization (WHO) has already included more than 100 diseases in the list of especially dangerous infections.

The Comparison of Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 Infection between Pediatric and Adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milad Zandi ◽  
Saber Soltani ◽  
Mona Fani ◽  
Haniye Shafipour ◽  
Samaneh Abbasi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Converting Enzyme ◽  
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 ◽  
The World ◽  
Smoking Susceptibility ◽  
The Relationship

SARS-CoV-2 causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is responsible for the recent pandemic in the world. It has been recently recognized as a challenge for public health and a significant cause of severe illness in all age groups. Young children and older people are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, children usually present mild symptoms compared to adult patients. The relationship between age, severity, and COVID-19 transmission is compared to determine whether there is any reasonable relationship between age and COVID-19. It should be mentioned that some risk factors may increase the probability of developing severe COVID-19 by advancing age, such as pathophysiological changes in the respiratory system, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 expression in the nasopharynx, and smoking. Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection is independent of age, but the mortality rate of COVID-19 depends on age.

scholarly journals Nepal COVID-19 Governmental Response

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar S. Abdellatif ◽  
Ali Behbehani
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
International Health ◽  
Who Guidelines ◽  
Member States ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
The World ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Current Cycle ◽  
The Face

The International Health Regulations (2005) are legally binding on 196 States Parties, Including all WHO Member States. The IHR aims to keep the world informed about public health risks, through committing all signatories to cooperate together in combating any future “illness or medical condition, irrespective of origin or source, that presents or could present significant harm to humans.” Under IHR, countries agreed to strengthen their public health capacities and notify the WHO of any such illness in their populations. The WHO would be the centralized body for all countries facing a health threat, with the power to declare a “public health emergency of international concern,” issue recommendations, and work with countries to tackle a crisis. Although, with the sudden and rapid spread of COVID-19 in the world, many countries varied in implementing the WHO guidelines and health recommendations. While some countries followed the WHO guidelines, others imposed travel restrictions against the WHO’s recommendations. Some refused to share their data with the organization. Others banned the export of medical equipment, even in the face of global shortages. The UN Compliance Research group will focus during the current cycle on analyzing the compliance of the WHO member states to the organizations guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Bahrain COVID-19 Governmental Response

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar S. Abdellatif ◽  
Ali Ali Behbehani ◽  
Mauricio Landin ◽  
Sarah Malik
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
International Health ◽  
Who Guidelines ◽  
Member States ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
The World ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Current Cycle ◽  
The Face

The International Health Regulations (2005) are legally binding on 196 States Parties, Including all WHO Member States. The IHR aims to keep the world informed about public health risks, through committing all signatories to cooperate together in combating any future “illness or medical condition, irrespective of origin or source, that presents or could present significant harm to humans.” Under IHR, states agreed to strengthen their public health capacities and notify the WHO of any such illness in their populations. The WHO would be the centralized body for all countries facing a health threat, with the power to declare a “public health emergency of international concern,” issue recommendations, and work with countries to tackle a crisis. Although, with the sudden and rapid spread of COVID-19 in the world, many countries varied in implementing the WHO guidelines and health recommendations. While some countries followed the WHO guidelines, others imposed travel restrictions against the WHO’s recommendations. Some states refused to share their data with the organization. Others banned the export of medical equipment, even in the face of global shortages. The UN Compliance Research group will focus during the current cycle on analyzing the compliance of the WHO member states to the organizations guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Multinational Outbreak Investigations

2019 ◽  
pp. 295-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Mahoney ◽  
James W. Le Duc
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
International Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Health Events ◽  
The World ◽  
Outbreak Investigations ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Health Regulations

Multinational collaborations on international outbreak investigations and response have a long history. Development of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948 was closely linked to efforts by the global community to prevent, detect, and respond to outbreaks of international concern. Through the International Health Regulations (IHR) of 2005, a legally binding instrument requiring countries to report certain outbreaks and public health events, WHO outlined a strategy for disease threat response. Efforts by global partners to strengthen cooperation have evolved over the years, including roles and responsibilities of WHO, its Member States, and other partners. Among the challenges faced by Member State and WHO in implementing the IHRs are limited funding to support staffing and operational support as well as sometimes conflicting multijurisdictional decision-making. The response to recent outbreaks provides evidence that much work remains to be done to strengthen IHR mechanisms.

scholarly journals Chile COVID-19 Governmental Response

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar S. Abdellatif ◽  
Ali Behbehani ◽  
Mauricio Landin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
International Health ◽  
Who Guidelines ◽  
Member States ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
The World ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Current Cycle ◽  
The Face

The International Health Regulations (2005) are legally binding on 196 States Parties, Including all WHO Member States. The IHR aims to keep the world informed about public health risks, through committing all signatories to cooperate together in combating any future “illness or medical condition, irrespective of origin or source, that presents or could present significant harm to humans.” Under IHR, countries agreed to strengthen their public health capacities and notify the WHO of any such illness in their populations. The WHO would be the centralized body for all countries facing a health threat, with the power to declare a “public health emergency of international concern,” issue recommendations, and work with countries to tackle a crisis. Although, with the sudden and rapid spread of COVID-19 in the world, many countries varied in implementing the WHO guidelines and health recommendations. While some countries followed the WHO guidelines, others imposed travel restrictions against the WHO’s recommendations. Some refused to share their data with the organization. Others banned the export of medical equipment, even in the face of global shortages. The UN Compliance Research group will focus during the current cycle on analyzing the compliance of the WHO member states to the organizations guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Thailand COVID-19 Governmental Response

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar S. Abdellatif ◽  
Ali Behbehani ◽  
Mauricio Landin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
International Health ◽  
Who Guidelines ◽  
Member States ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
The World ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Current Cycle ◽  
The Face

The International Health Regulations (2005) are legally binding on 196 States Parties, Including all WHO Member States. The IHR aims to keep the world informed about public health risks, through committing all signatories to cooperate together in combating any future “illness or medical condition, irrespective of origin or source, that presents or could present significant harm to humans.” Under IHR, countries agreed to strengthen their public health capacities and notify the WHO of any such illness in their populations. The WHO would be the centralized body for all countries facing a health threat, with the power to declare a “public health emergency of international concern,” issue recommendations, and work with countries to tackle a crisis. Although, with the sudden and rapid spread of COVID-19 in the world, many countries varied in implementing the WHO guidelines and health recommendations. While some countries followed the WHO guidelines, others imposed travel restrictions against the WHO’s recommendations. Some refused to share their data with the organization. Others banned the export of medical equipment, even in the face of global shortages. The UN Compliance Research group will focus during the current cycle on analyzing the compliance of the WHO member states to the organizations guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Switzerland COVID-19 Governmental Response

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar S. Abdellatif ◽  
Ali Behbehani ◽  
Mauricio Landin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
International Health ◽  
Who Guidelines ◽  
Member States ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
The World ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Current Cycle ◽  
The Face

The International Health Regulations (2005) are legally binding on 196 States Parties, Including all WHO Member States. The IHR aims to keep the world informed about public health risks, through committing all signatories to cooperate together in combating any future “illness or medical condition, irrespective of origin or source, that presents or could present significant harm to humans.” Under IHR, countries agreed to strengthen their public health capacities and notify the WHO of any such illness in their populations. The WHO would be the centralized body for all countries facing a health threat, with the power to declare a “public health emergency of international concern,” issue recommendations, and work with countries to tackle a crisis. Although, with the sudden and rapid spread of COVID-19 in the world, many countries varied in implementing the WHO guidelines and health recommendations. While some countries followed the WHO guidelines, others imposed travel restrictions against the WHO’s recommendations. Some refused to share their data with the organization. Others banned the export of medical equipment, even in the face of global shortages. The UN Compliance Research group will focus during the current cycle on analyzing the compliance of the WHO member states to the organizations guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Cameroon COVID-19 Governmental Response

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Abdellatif ◽  
Ali Behbehani
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
International Health ◽  
Who Guidelines ◽  
Member States ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
The World ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Current Cycle ◽  
The Face

The International Health Regulations (2005) are legally binding on 196 States Parties, Including all WHO Member States. The IHR aims to keep the world informed about public health risks, through committing all signatories to cooperate together in combating any future “illness or medical condition, irrespective of origin or source, that presents or could present significant harm to humans.” Under IHR, countries agreed to strengthen their public health capacities and notify the WHO of any such illness in their populations. The WHO would be the centralized body for all countries facing a health threat, with the power to declare a “public health emergency of international concern,” issue recommendations, and work with countries to tackle a crisis. Although, with the sudden and rapid spread of COVID-19 in the world, many countries varied in implementing the WHO guidelines and health recommendations. While some countries followed the WHO guidelines, others imposed travel restrictions against the WHO’s recommendations. Some refused to share their data with the organization. Others banned the export of medical equipment, even in the face of global shortages. The UN Compliance Research group will focus during the current cycle on analyzing the compliance of the WHO member states to the organizations guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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