Brucellosis morbidity in Russia and Primorsky region

Objective: Epidemiological data analysis concerning the spread of brucellosis in Russia and Primorsky Region, study of the manifestations of the epidemic process and the current state of brucellosis issue.Methods: Descriptive epidemiological analysis of materials on infectious morbidity based on state statistical reporting forms No. 1, No. 2 “Information on infectious and parasitic morbidity”.Results: Brucellosis affects workers in the main occupational groups of livestock breeders, workers involved in the processing of livestock, who contact sick animals and other sources of brucellosis infection. Primorsky Region is a territory with an unstable epidemiological situation on brucellosis. A different morbidity rates were registered over the years. However usually it does not exceed the national average rate. In 2009, the morbidity rate counted 27.5% less than in Russian Federation (0.21 and 0.29 per 100,000 respectively), compared to previous years, the average long-term morbidity rate in the region increased by 3.5 times. The disease rate for the period from 2009 to 2019 ranged from 0.05 to 0.21%. In 2012, it exceeded the index in the Far Eastern Federal District (0.1 per 100,000 population). Brucellosis cases were detected among livestock breeders during an extraordinary medical examination due to the bad situation on brucellosis among animals.Conclusions: In recent decades, the epizootic and epidemiological situation on brucellosis remains tense due to the decrease in the number of serological and bacteriological studies among animals and humans, the weakening of veterinary-sanitary control and the formation of new private farms.

The possibilities of quantitative analysis of the relationship between the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the institutional characteristics of the countries of the world

The interrelation of the severity of the epidemiological situation in a particular country and its institutional characteristics (including the level of health care, quality of management, the level of public trust, cultural characteristics, etc.) is considered. As a result, using the developed index of the severity of the epidemiological situation, the institutional characteristics that most affect the effectiveness of the measures applied were determined. It was figured out that of the 16 characteristics considered, only two (the level of employment and trust in the government) have a medium statistical correlation with the severity of the pandemic. Three more characteristics (prevalence of secular-rational values, degree of urbanization, GDP PPP per capita) have a correlation close to the medium. The remaining characteristics (including health care costs, government efficiency, etc.) have either a weak correlation wiыth severity, or actually do not have it. The results obtained indicate insufficient use and reassessment of existing institutional capacities at the initial stage of the pandemic, as well as insufficient reliability of morbidity and mortality statistics in a number of countries. In conclusion, based on the analysis of statistical indicators, recommendations are given to improve the effectiveness of the use of institutional capacity to counter epidemiological threats, improve this potential, increase the effectiveness of protective and restrictive measures that reduce the severity of the epidemiological situation.

Functional changes of the respiratory system by female students of a higher educational institution engaged in various physical culture and sports directions

В статье рассмотрено влияние различных физкультурно-спортивных направлений, реализуемых в рамках «Элективных дисциплин по физической культуре и спорту» в Тверском государственном университете, на функциональное состояние дыхательной системы у студентов в период эпидемиологической ситуации по заболеванию новой коронавирусной инфекции COVID - 19. The article considers the influence of various physical culture and sports directions implemented within the framework of “Elective disciplines in physical edication and sports” at Tver State University on the functional state of the respiratory system of students during the epidemiological situation of the new coronavirus infection COVID - 19.

EPIDEMICS IN KYIV COVERED IN THE NEWSPAPER PERIODICALS OF THE CITY OF THE LATE 19TH – EARLY 20TH CENTURIES

The article examines the coverage of the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the city in the late 19th – early 20th centuries in the Kyiv newspapers “Kievlyanin”, “Kievskie Vesti”, “Kievskaya Mysl”, “Yuzhnaya Kopeyka”. The processing of newspaper materials made it possible to identify problematic areas of work of the city authorities in the sanitary and communal spheres, namely inadequate control over observance of health standards in urban markets, failure to solve the problem of natural dumps and homeless people, illegal alcohol sales, lack of timely repair of roads, construction of water supply and sewerage. These factors were the main causes of epidemics of typhus, measles, tuberculosis, smallpox, cholera. Analysis of statistics on the pages of periodicals allows tracing the number of people affected by epidemics, identifying typical diseases for each district of the city, caused by their geographical location, population, location of facilities such as prisons, bazaars, cemeteries, hospitals.

Artistic aspects of the design of information messages against Covid-19

The purpose of the article is to identify effective artistic and figurative approaches in the system of designing information messages aimed at increasing the social responsibility of the population for the period of the epidemiological situation associated with the spread of Covid-19 infection. The methodology is based on the general principles of scientific knowledge that correspond to art discourse: system-analytical, comparative, and formal methods, as well as on artistic-compositional analysis, synthesis, and generalization. Scientific novelty. A comprehensive analysis of anti-antiquity information messages was conducted. Shaping features and the most commonly used visual images contribute to the formation of adequate behavior, activating the attention of the population to those protected from the effects of coronavirus threats. Conclusions. It is determined that the information messages of antiquity direction created by means of visual metaphors, associations, and comparisons are the most expressive and effective in the context of influence on the target audience.Key words: information messages, graphic design, visual image, social advertising, coronavirus threat.

Criminal Liability for Providing Inaccurate Information about the Spread of the COVID-19 Epidemic

The aim of this study was to identify problems related to the establishment of criminal liability for providing inaccurate information about the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic, and propose the ways to solve them. To aim involved the following methods: systemic approach, descriptive statistics, comparative approach, descriptive analysis, pragmatic approach, and forecasting. The effectiveness of health authorities’ response to outbreaks of diseases depends on the completeness and accuracy of the information disseminated. In fact, national legislations do not provide criminal liability for providing inaccurate information about the epidemiological situation in a pandemic. Therefore, there is a need to develop Interim Guidelines to ensure the accuracy of information on the epidemiological situation in a pandemic. A rule that criminalizes the provision of inaccurate information or the dissemination of inaccurate information about the incidence in an epidemic and/or pandemic, should be one of the rules on liability for crimes against national security, and should be punishable by imprisonment for a certain period and deprivation of the right to hold certain positions and engage in certain activities. This study is not exhaustive and opens up prospects for further research in this area.

Stress and Coping Strategies of Nurses Working with Patients Infected with and Not Infected with SARS-CoV-2 Virus

Introduction: Working during the COVID-19 pandemic is a particular challenge for nurses because, while performing their daily routines, they are exposed to physical and social consequences of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is accompanied by intensified stress. The aim of this study was to assess the intensity of stress and coping strategies applied by nurses working with both infected and non-infected patients with SARS-CoV-2 virus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted between January and March 2021. Due to the epidemiological situation, the questionnaire was posted on Facebook in nurses’ groups and sent out via the “Messenger” and “WhatsApp” applications. Stress intensity was assessed by means of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), whereas coping strategies were assessed using the Mini-COPE stress coping inventory. Results: Among 151 surveyed nurses, more than half (52.3%) worked with infected patients and the remaining ones (47.7%) worked with non-infected patients. The level of stress perceived by nurses working with infected patients was higher than among nurses working with patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection (22.22 ± 5.94 vs. 20.21 ± 5.68, p = 0.03). The nurses working with infected patients were most likely to choose coping strategies focused on the problem (2.00 ± 0.62) and emotions (2.01 ± 0.69), whereas those working with non-infected patients usually chose strategies focused only on the problem (2.11 ± 0.58). Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses working with SARS-CoV-2 patients experienced more intense stress than those working with non-infected patients. Nurses working with SARS-CoV-2 patients tended to cope with stress using strategies focused on the problem and on emotions, while those working with non-infected patients were more likely to choose strategies focused only on the problem.

Válaszkeresés járvány idején a felmerülő erkölcsi kérdésekre

Összefoglaló. Most már második éve általános tapasztalat – és nemcsak egy kis területen, hanem az egész világon – a COVID–19 halálos járvány terjedése (az elnevezés pontosan: SARS-CoV-2), amelyet már nem lehetett egyszerű megfázásnak vagy gyorsan elmúló betegségnek tekinteni, hanem egy olyan súlyos állapotnak, mely fenyegeti minden ember életét, függetlenül attól, hogy ki hol él. Az egészségügyi kutatók az ellenanyag kifejlesztéséért küzdöttek, mely megállíthatja a vírus terjedését. A gyógyítás kérdései mellett azonban filozófiai és vallási kérdések is felmerültek, melyekre pszichológusok és hittudósok is keresik a választ. Az ember teremtettségéből és szabad akaratából kiindulva a jelen tanulmány a Bibliában közölt kinyilatkoztatás és a keresztény tanítás alapján vállalkozik nemcsak lehetséges válaszokat adni, hanem a járvány komolyságával számolva a jelenség hitbeli és teológiai magyarázatát is megfogalmazni. Summary. The Covid-19 epidemic, which began in late 2019 and early 2020, has reached everyone: the family, the workplace, and public life. The phenomenon also requires a comprehensive solution. The unfortunate experience has taught everyone that there is no age limit for the virus because it affects everyone equally. It has become clear that it is not individual solutions that are needed, but only community path finding, that no one lives alone in isolation. Throughout its two-thousand-year history, Christianity has accompanied man in both its successes and failures. God’s revelation-based teaching is unchanged and to this day He provides His resulting answers to everyone by placing the whole man before God. This Christian-minded anthropology means that man lives in a personal relationship that assigns him to God alone. In terms of faith, it thus approaches the crisis, the disease, the drama of being, in a different way, which sees the reality of life and death in a greater context. The spread of the current epidemic has been interpreted by many as a divine punishment. But God, the Creator, who is good, cannot be the source of good and evil at the same time, he cannot be the starting point of evil. It is precisely because of these characteristics that spiritual and moral behavior is valued in the epidemiological situation. Christianity does not see God-consciously directing punitive action in unpleasant events for people and humanity, as God is first and foremost a Father. In the Old Testament, there is no connection between a particular disease or other plague and the personal sins of those who suffer it. Far from the New Testament, the conclusion is that it links the plagues, diseases, and epidemics we experience to the sins committed by individual people. The turn of the New Testament, then, is also significant in the presentation of God. It is no longer the image of the fearsome and terrible God that emerges, but the teaching of Jesus, who says of His Father, “God is love.” The God of the New Testament is a God of co-suffering and compassion who thinks not of punishment but of forgiveness. Troubles are not necessarily attributable to the sins of individuals, but actually to the sins of all mankind. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to feel somehow responsible for the other when they see that their sins continue. However, the viral situation has also shown unparalleled human behaviors and values, especially on the part of healthcare professionals. Perhaps involuntarily, among those who acted for others, man’s better self manifested itself, so they were able to make sacrifices as well. Of them, too, Jesus said, just before his suffering, that “no one loves more than he who gives his life for his friends.” It is love that overcomes fear, that can be the cure for a virus.

Fuzzy Clustering Methods to Identify the Epidemiological Situation and Its Changes in European Countries during COVID-19

The main research question concerned the identification of changes in the COVID-19 epidemiological situation using fuzzy clustering methods. This research used cross-sectional time series data obtained from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The identification of country types in terms of epidemiological risk was carried out using the fuzzy c-means clustering method. We also used the entropy index to measure the degree of fuzziness in the classification and evaluate the uncertainty of epidemiological states. The proposed approach allowed us to identify countries’ epidemic states. Moreover, it also made it possible to determine the time of transition from one state to another, as well as to observe fluctuations during changes of state. Three COVID-19 epidemic states were identified in Europe, i.e., stabilisation, destabilisation, and expansion. The methodology is universal and can also be useful for other countries, as well as the research results being important for governments, politicians and other policy-makers working to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Epidemiological trends in tuberculosis in Ukraine at the beginning of the COVID­-19 pandemic

Objective — to examine the tendencies of the epidemiological situation on tuberculosis in Ukraine at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Materials and methods. The analysis of the data of official statistics in 2015—2020, a survey of 157 medical experts and a telephone questionnaire survey of 69 residents of the Volyn region. Results and discussion. It was established that the disease of COVID-19 has found its imprint on the epidemiological situation of tuberculosis and on the functioning of the TB care service. In 2020, the rate of decline in the incidence of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis was significantly more intensive than in previous years. However, the incidence of tuberculosis among contacts with bacterial excretion in tuberculosis foci increased 1.85 times in each year. The frequency of tuberculosis recurrences is steadily decreasing.The prevalence and mortality from all forms of active tuberculosis among the entire population of Ukraine has a tendency similar to a decrease in morbidity.The effectiveness of treatment of patients of all categories is proportional to the severity of the tuberculosis process, but still insufficient. Mortality in TB care institutions increased in the previous year against the decrease of this indicator in previous years. Against the background of the inaccessibility of the population to TB care, day hospitals are underused, and the sanatorium network needs to be reorganized. The surgical method of treatment of patients is extremely insufficiently realized. Conclusions. The dispensary contingent of TB care institutions is decreasing every year. There is a reduction in the infrastructure of the TB care service, and in each year, the largest reduction was in the bed stock of TB care institutions and sanatoriums, as well as a decrease in the number of TB doctors.