scholarly journals Epidemiology of COVID-19: What have we learnt until now?

2021 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 8-11
Author(s):  
Tatjana Pekmezović

The first case in the outbreak of atypical pneumonia of unknown etiology, later confirmed as disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, was described in Wuhan (China) on December 8, 2019. The rapid expansion of COVID-19 cases prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency, and on March 11, 2020, COVID-19 was officially classified as a pandemic disease by the WHO. It is generally accepted that both genders and all ages in the population are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data from the real life also show difficulties in reaching the threshold of herd immunity. Thanks to the vaccination, some populations are approaching the theoretical threshold of immunity, but the spread of the virus is still difficult to stop. If we add to that the fact that we still do not know how long immunity lasts after the infection, the conclusion is that vaccination is unlikely to completely stop the spread of the virus, and that we must think about it. Vaccines certainly significantly reduce the hospitalization rate and mortality rate, and the assumption is that the virus will not disappear soon, but the severity of the disease and its fatality will be of marginal importance. The development of the epidemiological situation related to the COVID-19 is constantly changing and it significantly differs in various parts of the world, which is affected by differences in financial resources, health infrastructure and awareness of prevention and control of the COVID-19. Attempts are being made to make dynamically adjusted strategies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, that is, the new normality.

Author(s):  
Zen Ahmad

Corona Virus Disease (Covid-19) is a contagious disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which was discovered in December 2019 in China. This disease can cause clinical manifestations in the airway, lung and systemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) representative of China reported a pneumonia case with unknown etiology in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China on December 31, 2019. The cause was identified as a new type of coronavirus on January 7, 2020 with an estimated source of the virus from traditional markets (seafood market). ) Wuhan city


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1145
Author(s):  
Hakimeh Baghaei Daemi ◽  
Muhammad Fakhar-e-Alam Kulyar ◽  
Xinlin He ◽  
Chengfei Li ◽  
Morteza Karimpour ◽  
...  

Influenza is a highly known contagious viral infection that has been responsible for the death of many people in history with pandemics. These pandemics have been occurring every 10 to 30 years in the last century. The most recent global pandemic prior to COVID-19 was the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic. A decade ago, the H1N1 virus caused 12,500 deaths in just 19 months globally. Now, again, the world has been challenged with another pandemic. Since December 2019, the first case of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection was detected in Wuhan. This infection has risen rapidly throughout the world; even the World Health Organization (WHO) announced COVID-19 as a worldwide emergency to ensure human health and public safety. This review article aims to discuss important issues relating to COVID-19, including clinical, epidemiological, and pathological features of COVID-19 and recent progress in diagnosis and treatment approaches for the COVID-19 infection. We also highlight key similarities and differences between COVID-19 and influenza A to ensure the theoretical and practical details of COVID-19.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 256
Author(s):  
Pedro Plans-Rubió

In 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Global Vaccine Action Plan with the objective to promote essential vaccinations in all countries and achieve at least 90% vaccination coverage for all routine vaccines by 2020. The study assessed the mean percentages of vaccination coverage in 2019 for 13 routine vaccines, vaccination coverage variation from 2015 to 2019, and herd immunity levels against measles and pertussis in 2019 in countries and regions of WHO. In 2019, the mean percentages of vaccination coverage were lower than 90% for 10 (78.9%) routine vaccines. The mean percentages of vaccination coverage also decreased from 2015 to 2019 for six (46.2%) routine vaccines. The prevalence of individuals with vaccine-induced measles immunity in the target measles vaccination population was 88.1%, and the prevalence of individuals with vaccine-induced pertussis immunity in the target pertussis vaccination population was 81.1%. Herd immunity against measles viruses with Ro = 18 was established in 63 (32.5%) countries but not established in any region. Herd immunity against pertussis agents was not established in any country and in any region of WHO. National immunization programs must be improved to achieve ≥90% vaccination coverage in all countries and regions. Likewise, it is necessary to achieve ≥95% vaccination coverage with two doses of measles vaccines and three doses of pertussis vaccines in all countries and regions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 01-03
Author(s):  
Ashish Gujrathi

Coronavirus (COVID-19) was recognized in late December in Hubei province of Wuhan city in China. This highly contagious disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is transmitted from humans to humans. After the first case in Wuhan, the disease rapidly spread to other parts of the globe. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) made an assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. Thus, social-distancing became an important measure to stop the spread of this disease. Various countries across the world adopted nationwide lockdowns. This led to a completely new scenario for the world, where every business in each industry faced new challenges and witnessed new opportunities. Similarly, the medical personal protective industry, a vital part of the healthcare sector, also witnessed new growth opportunities.


1970 ◽  
pp. 14-17
Author(s):  
Randa Abul-Husn

The first case of AIDS was reported in Lebanon in 1988. As of July 1994, 2,402 cases of AIDS, 398 ARC (AIDS Related Complex), and 8,423 HN positive cases were reported in the region of the Middle East. The disease is heavily underreported and under-estimated, according to the National AIDS Control Programme in Lebanon. The NACP was established in 1989 by the World Health Organization and the Lebanese Ministry of Health.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Sacco

"H1 N1 is a virus that has been sensationalized by the media since the first case was discovered in Mexico during the spring of 2009. People around the world feared that the virus would mutate into something as severe as the 1918 Spanish flu, one of the deadliest plagues in history. However experts had discovered by June of 2009 that the Spanish flu was not comparable to H1 N1. Yet for six months newspaper reporters continued to compare the ew epidemic to the Spanish flu, thus keeping alive the threat of an unstoppable pandemic. One year has passed since the first case of H1 N1 was confirmed. After all of the attention that H1 N1 received, it proved to be not much different than a typical seasonal flu, resulting in a lower death rate (Schabas and Rau, 2010). Recently, a number of investigations have begun to determine if the World Health Organization (WHO) overemphasized the level of risk, resulting in a large quantity of sensationalized media coverage, and citizens in a state of panic.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1108-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawid Maciorowski ◽  
Samir Z. El Idrissi ◽  
Yash Gupta ◽  
Brian J. Medernach ◽  
Michael B. Burns ◽  
...  

In December of 2019, an outbreak of a novel coronavirus flared in Wuhan, the capital city of the Hubei Province, China. The pathogen has been identified as a novel enveloped RNA beta-coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus SARS-CoV-2 is associated with a disease characterized by severe atypical pneumonia known as coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Typical symptoms of this disease include cough, fever, malaise, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal symptoms, anosmia, and, in severe cases, pneumonia.1 The high-risk group of COVID-19 patients includes people over the age of 60 years as well as people with existing cardiovascular disease and/or diabetes mellitus. Epidemiological investigations have suggested that the outbreak was associated with a live animal market in Wuhan. Within the first few months of the outbreak, cases were growing exponentially all over the world. The unabated spread of this deadly and highly infectious virus is a health emergency for all nations in the world and has led to the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a pandemic on March 11, 2020. In this report, we consolidate and review the available clinically and preclinically relevant results emanating from in vitro animal models and clinical studies of drugs approved for emergency use as a treatment for COVID-19, including remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, and lopinavir-ritonavir combinations. These compounds have been frequently touted as top candidates to treat COVID-19, but recent clinical reports suggest mixed outcomes on their efficacies within the current clinical protocol frameworks.


Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 218
Author(s):  
Pedro Plans-Rubió

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed two-dose measles vaccination coverage of at least 95% of the population and percentages of measles immunity in the population of 85%−95% in order to achieve measles elimination in Europe. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the measles vaccination coverage required to establish herd immunity against measles viruses with basic reproduction numbers (Ro) ranging from 6 to 60, and (2) to assess whether the objectives proposed by the WHO are sufficient to establish herd immunity against measles viruses. Methods: The herd immunity effects of the recommended objectives were assessed by considering the prevalence of protected individuals required to establish herd immunity against measles viruses with Ro values ranging from 6 to 60. Results: The study found that percentages of two-dose measles vaccination coverage from 88% to 100% could establish herd immunity against measles viruses with Ro from 6 to 19, assuming 95% measles vaccination effectiveness. The study found that the objective of 95% for two-dose measles vaccination coverage proposed by the WHO would not be sufficient to establish herd immunity against measles viruses with Ro ≥ 10, assuming 95% measles vaccination effectiveness. By contrast, a 97% measles vaccination coverage objective was sufficient to establish herd immunity against measles viruses, with Ro values from 6 to 13. Measles immunity levels recommended in individuals aged 1−4 years (≥85%) and 5−9 years (≥90%) might not be sufficient to establish herd immunity against most measles viruses, while those recommended in individuals aged 10 or more years (≥95%) could be sufficient to establish herd immunity against measles viruses with Ro values from 6 to 20. Conclusion: To meet the goal of measles elimination in Europe, it is necessary to achieve percentages of two-dose measles vaccination coverage of at least 97%, and measles immunity levels in children aged 1−9 years of at least 95%.


2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Beldarraín Chaple ◽  
Mary Anne Mercer

In December 2013 the first case of Ebola appeared in Guinea. In September 2014 the United Nations (UN) and its specialized agency the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a call for medical collaboration in response to the medical crisis and social disaster caused by the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. Cuban authorities responded immediately to the call by offering specialized help for the epidemic, in collaboration with WHO. A group of 256 Cuban doctors, nurses and other health professionals provided direct care during the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Equatorial Guinea from October 2014 to April 2015. This paper explains the main features of the Cuban health system, describes the development of Cuba's international medical cooperation approach, and highlights the work done by Cuban health collaborators in addressing the damage caused by the Ebola epidemic. Information used includes reports and documents of the Ministry of Public Health of Cuba, reports of WHO and PAHO, and articles published in scientific journals and newspaper articles. The response of the Cuban medical teams to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa is only one example of the Cuban efforts to strengthening health care provision in areas of need throughout the world.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 2050313X1982891
Author(s):  
Miguel Angel Moyón Constante ◽  
Fernando Xavier Moyón Constante ◽  
Jorge Fernando Tufiño ◽  
Andres Cárdenas Patiño ◽  
Gabriel Alejandro Molina ◽  
...  

Mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinomas are rare tumors that contain both an exocrine and an endocrine component. Since the latest classification by the World Health Organization and with the aid of immunostaining, more mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinomas are now identified and diagnosed. Nonetheless, our knowledge of these tumors is still limited, notably concerning gastric variants, as the cases reported in the literature are very limited. The clinical and surgical treatment, including the chemotherapy schemes, the prognosis, and recurrence still represent challenges for the medical teams. We present the case of a 62-year-old woman. After an upper endoscopy revealed multiple polyps and a low-grade neuroendocrine tumor, a D2 radical gastrectomy was performed. A low output esophageal anastomotic leak was discovered in the postoperative period and successfully managed. Pathology revealed a gastric mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma, the first case of this kind reported in Ecuador. Patient is doing well and under constant surveillance up until her 13th postoperative month.


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