The network limits of infectious disease control via occupation-based targeting

Policymakers commonly employ non-pharmaceutical interventions to reduce the scale and severity of pandemics. Of non-pharmaceutical interventions, physical distancing policies—designed to reduce person-to-person pathogenic spread – have risen to recent prominence. In particular, stay-at-home policies of the sort widely implemented around the globe in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have proven to be markedly effective at slowing pandemic growth. However, such blunt policy instruments, while effective, produce numerous unintended consequences, including potentially dramatic reductions in economic productivity. In this study, we develop methods to investigate the potential to simultaneously contain pandemic spread while also minimizing economic disruptions. We do so by incorporating both occupational and contact network information contained within an urban environment, information that is commonly excluded from typical pandemic control policy design. The results of our methods suggest that large gains in both economic productivity and pandemic control might be had by the incorporation and consideration of simple-to-measure characteristics of the occupational contact network. We find evidence that more sophisticated, and more privacy invasive, measures of this network do not drastically increase performance.

ESBL/pAmpC-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae carriage among veterinary healthcare workers in the Netherlands

Background Animals are a reservoir for ESBL/pAmpC-producing Escherichia coli/Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-E/K). We investigated the association between occupational contact with different types of animals and the prevalence of ESBL-E/K carriage among veterinary healthcare workers, assessed molecular characteristics of ESBL-E/K, and followed-up on the ESBL-E/K carriage status of participants and their household members. Methods Participants completed a questionnaire about their contact with animals at work and at home, health status, travel behaviour and hygiene, and sent in a faecal sample which was tested for the presence of ESBL-E/K. Resistance genes were typed using PCR and sequencing. ESBL-E/K positive participants and their household members were followed up after 6 months. Risk factors were analysed using multivariable logistic regression methods. Results The prevalence of ESBL-E/K carriage was 9.8% (47/482; 95%CI 7.4–12.7). The most frequently occurring ESBL genes were blaCTX-M-15, blaCTX-M-14 and blaDHA-1. The predominant sequence type was ST131. None of the occupation related factors, such as contact with specific animal species, were significantly associated with ESBL-E/K carriage, whereas travel to Africa, Asia or Latin America in the past 6 months (OR 4.4), and stomach/bowel complaints in the past 4 weeks (OR 2.2) were. Sixteen of 33 initially ESBL-E/K positive participants (48.5%) tested positive again 6 months later, in 14 persons the same ESBL gene and E. coli ST was found. Four of 23 (17.4%) household members carried ESBL-E/K, in three persons this was the same ESBL gene and E. coli ST as in the veterinary healthcare worker. Conclusions Despite the absence of specific occupation related risk factors, ESBL-E/K carriage in veterinary healthcare workers was high compared to the prevalence in the general Dutch population (5%). This indicates that occupational contact with animals is a potential source of ESBL-E/K for the population at large.

Contact Dermatitis Knowledge Level in Batik Workers of Desa Batik, Tanjung Bumi, Bangkalan, Madura

Background: Batik has been declared as a humanitarian heritage for oral and non-cultural culture. The increasing demand for batik may have a negative impact as the industry utilizes chemical agents. Hazardous chemical exposure to the skin in the batik industry may result in a high risk of occupational contact dermatitis. This study was conducted to find out the social determinants of health. Purpose: This study aims to assess the level of knowledge of the batik workers before and after health education about occupational contact dermatitis. Methods: This was an observational interview study, and the data were collected using questionnaires. This study involved 30 batik workers. We assessed the level of knowledge before and after the health education about occupational contact dermatitis. Result: There were 4 (13.3%) male participants and 26 (86.7%) female participants. The mean score of the pre-test was 66.98±10.10, and the post-test was 77.77±13.53 (p<0.05). Conclusion: The result showed a significant difference between batik workers' knowledge before and after health education about contact dermatitis.