THE MAIN TRENDS OF PUBLICATION ACTIVITY ON TOPICS RELATED TO INFECTIOUS DISEASES: COVID, SARS, EBOLA AND BIRD FLU

The article contains a scientometric analysis of publications indexed in the international citation database Scopus. Groups of publications containing the keywords COVID / COVID-19, the SARS virus that causes it, as well as publications on pandemics caused by Ebola and bird flu / avian influenza (various options combined by the search query "bird* flu") were considered. It was supposed to identify groups of links between the development of diseases and the dynamics of publication activity on the relevant topic, to analyze the samples of publications formed by sequential (two- and three-stage) search queries. In addition to the dynamics of the number of publications, distributions were analyzed by a) fields of knowledge (branches of science), b) by a set of keywords associated with a specified area, c) by nationality of authors and, in relation to authors from Russia, the significance of the contribution of organizations to the sample of publications. Due to the current quantitative changes in the number of publications for the period of material selection (mid-March–late June 2021), some quantitative estimates may change slightly. At the same time, the qualitative conclusions are preserved. For the most part, the findings appear to be expected.

Avian/Bird flu: A review: H5N1 outbreaks in Nepal

Avian/Bird flu is a viral disease of birds, caused by avian influenza virus (AIV). A highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has breached the barrier of species to humans and other animals escalating the pandemic threat. If the H5N1 evolves to a human-to-human transmissible virus retaining its pathogenicity, it can trigger an influenza pandemic. H5N1 has a mortality rate of about 60%, varying with strains. Meaningful antigenic alteration in hemagglutinin (HA) and/or neuraminidase (NA) results in recurring pandemics. The HPAI H5N1 subtype alone has outreached more than 77 nations around the world since the first human case and death was reported in 1997. Wild and migratory birds are the AIV reservoirs. Poultry is primarily impacted by incidents and outbreaks of the disease. A wide range of serological and molecular methods have substantially aided in the identification of bird flu in humans. Candidate vaccines have been developed, yet are not ready for widespread use. Oseltamivir (brand name: Tamiflu) is the preferred drug for the management of human Influenza-like illness (ILI). Surveillance, mass awareness, and pandemic preparedness abiding WHO recommendations are of paramount importance for the prevention of bird flu outbreaks.

Bird Flu: A Birding Threat

Guest Comment on Bird Flu by Dr. Surabhi Duggal, Assistant Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Crown and Bridge, Sharda University, Greater Noida

Kiła, ospa, angielskie poty. Zapomniane epidemie w Prusach i na Pomorzu w latach 1527 i 1529

Syphilis, smallpox, English sweats. Forgotten epidemics in Prussia and Pomerania in 1527 and 1529 This article aims to analyze narrative material recorded in Prussian and Pommeranian towns in the course of an epidemic of syphilis and smallpox in 1527 and of English sweats in 1529 (chroniclers’ accounts and letters). The point of departure is the extensive and detailed description contained in the Preuβische Chronik by the Gdańsk chronicler Simon Grunau. To test its credibility, the information it contains is compared with other current accounts on the subject of the course of the epidemics. Hitherto the epidemics of 1527 and 1529 have not aroused the interest of scholars writing about Prussia and Pomerania. The author of this article has collected manuscripts and printed source material, which is included in an annex. The article analyzes: the reactions to the appearance of sickness on the part of city authorities noted by chroniclers (including, Simon Grunau, Thomas Kantzow, and Johannes von Freiberg) and of the inhabitants of Szczecin, Gdańsk, Königsberg, Toruń, and Elbląg; descriptions of the remedial measures proposed; and interpretations of the ways the sicknesses spread among people and domestic animals. The article compares these with accounts surviving in contemporary letters, including those of Martin Luther, Prussian Duke Albrecht Hohenzollern, and Philip Melanchthon; it also considers accounts from the extensive medical writing preserved in old printed texts. An analysis of the epidemic of 1527 makes it possible to identify several diseases (smallpox and bird flu) that chroniclers identify with syphilis. The surviving accounts of witnesses point to convergent reactions of people to new illnesses with those observed today.

A General Introduction

This introductory chapter provides an overview of how viruses have caused geographic, economic, and religious changes. Smallpox alone, in the twentieth century, killed an estimated 300 million individuals, about threefold as many persons as all the wars of that century. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, smallpox killed emperors of Japan and Burma as well as kings and queens of Europe, thereby unseating dynasties, altering control of countries, and disrupting alliances. In addition to propelling the establishment of Christianity in Mexico and Latin America, viruses played a role in enlarging the African slave trade throughout the Americas. In contrast to viruses such as smallpox and measles which are now harnessed by the innovations of healthcare, new viral plagues of fearful proportions have appeared. These include HIV/AIDS, sudden acute respiratory syndrome, Ebola, Zika, and bird flu. This book looks at the history of viruses and virology, which is also the history of the men and women who have worked to combat these diseases.