Boao Initiative of the 2025 Asia Pacific Congress on Public Health.

Knowledge translation in the context of the Asia Pacific region.

Embedding Racial Justice and Advancing Health Equity at the American Medical Association

Primary health care systems can be strengthened by building stronger collaborations between primary care and public health. Although there is literature that explores interpersonal factors that can influence successful inter-organizational collaborations, a few of them have specifically explored primary care and public health collaboration. Furthermore, no papers were found that considered factors at the intrapersonal level. This paper aims to explore these gaps in a Canadian context. This interpretative descriptive study involved key informants (service providers, managers, directors, and policy makers) who participated in one h telephone interviews to explore their perceptions of influences on successful primary care and public health collaboration. Transcripts were analyzed using NVivo 9.FindingsA total of 74 participants [from the provinces of British Columbia (n=20); Ontario (n=19); Nova Scotia (n=21), and representatives from other provinces or national organizations (n=14)] participated. Five interpersonal factors were found that influenced public health and primary care collaborations including: (1) trusting and inclusive relationships; (2) shared values, beliefs and attitudes; (3) role clarity; (4) effective communication; and (5) decision processes. There were two influencing factors found at the intrapersonal level: (1) personal qualities, skills and knowledge; and (2) personal values, beliefs, and attitudes. A few differences were found across the three core provinces involved. There were several complex interactions identified among all inter and intra personal influencing factors: One key factor - effective communication - interacted with all of them. Results support and extend our understanding of what influences successful primary care and public health collaboration at these levels and are important considerations in building and sustaining primary care and public health collaborations.

New hepatitis C guidelines for the Asia–Pacific region: APASL consensus statements on the diagnosis, management and treatment of hepatitis C virus infection

This supplement issue is sponsored by the University of Malaya, Korea Centres for Disease Control (KCDC), and the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). This issue is a product of the 46th APACPH (Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health) conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2014 with the theme “Evolution of Public Health in the Asia-Pacific Region.” In the past decade, we were faced with public health challenges due to the demographic and epidemiological transitions of health and disease in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific region is an important focus for global health because of the size of the population and the high population density. There has been a constant fight against our traditional public health enemies including infectious diseases and malnutrition, and in more recent decades the threat from non-communicable diseases. Of particular public health concern are obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and road traffic injuries. In 2003, the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic began in Guangdong, People’s Republic of China and rapidly spread internationally, resulting in a major public health effort coordinated by the World Health Organization to limit its spread. However, by the end of 2003, it had spread to 30 countries. More than 50% of the SARS cases occurred in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Singapore, and Vietnam.1 More recently, we have seen the evolution of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in 2011. The Nipah virus is another newly emerging disease that was first identified in Malaysia and has since been found in several other countries. We have also seen the emergence of communicable diseases due to the consequences of the increasing numbers of natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods, famines, and armed conflict. These have caused many injuries and deaths and have contributed to the spread of infectious diseases. Emerging infectious diseases have caused considerable economic and social disruption due to the need for screening, treatment and quarantine. After their seriousness was recognized they resulted in a coordinated international response and changed public perceptions of the risks of communicable diseases. No longer were infections regarded as a threat from a past era, but are now thought of as presenting emerging threats. Many lessons have been learnt from the international collaboration in combating these emerging diseases and it is to be hoped that future threats to global health will result in a more rapid and effective response. The noncommunicable disease epidemics of our region are continuing their advance in countries at all stages of development. The major problems to be faced are cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, the tobacco epidemic, and the rising rates of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents. The Asia-Pacific region includes countries with the highest rate of tobacco usage (Indonesia) and the lowest global rate (Australia).

Breast Cancer in the Asia–Pacific Region

ABSTRACTIn the Asia Pacific (AP) region, osteoporosis and its consequence of fragility fractures are not widely recognized as a major public health problem. Several challenges including underdiagnosis and undertreatment exist. The Asia Pacific Consortium on Osteoporosis (APCO) is a nonpartisan and apolitical organization comprising musculoskeletal experts and stakeholders from both private and public sectors who have united to develop tangible solutions for these substantive challenges. APCO's vision is to reduce the burden of osteoporosis and fragility fractures in the AP region. Heterogeneity in both scope and recommendations among the available clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) contribute to the large osteoporosis treatment gap in the Asia Pacific. APCO has therefore developed a pan Asia‐Oceania harmonized set of standards of care (The Framework), for the screening, diagnosis, and management of osteoporosis. First, a structured analysis of the 18 extant AP CPGs was completed. Subsequently, a prioritization of themes and agreement on fundamental principles in osteoporosis management were made through a Delphi process of consensus building. This approach, ensuring the opinions of all participating members were equally considered, was especially useful for a geographically diverse group such as APCO. It is hoped that the Framework will serve as a platform upon which new AP national CPGs can be developed and existing ones be revised. APCO is currently embarking on country‐specific engagement plans to embed the Framework in clinical practice in the AP region. This is through partnering with regulatory bodies and national guidelines development authorities, through peer‐to‐peer health care professional education and by conducting path finder audits to benchmark current osteoporosis services against the Framework standards. The principles underpinning the harmonization of guidelines in the AP region can also be utilized in other parts of the world that have similar socioeconomic diversity and heterogeneity of healthcare resources. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

To better practice the Deepening Standardization Reform Plan, announced by the State Council, to promote the leadership of standard in healthy development of preventive medicine and public health, the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association (CPMA) established the Standardization Committee of Chinese Preventive Medicine Association (SC-CPMA). The SC-CPMA was responsible for the work of standardization developments of CPMA, including review of project's qualification and proposal, pre-qualification and qualification review of standard, publicity and training of standard, evaluation of standard implementation, review of standard, and public response monitoring of the standard. At December 13, 2018, CPMA published two group standards, the Technical specification of data processing for large population-based cohort study (T/CPMA 001-2018) and Technical specification of data security for large population-based cohort study (T/CPMA 002-2018). This was the first time that a group standard was published by CPMA and produced for large cohort study's establishment and research. These two standards were the milestones for public health areas and the academic achievement of team, leading by Dr. Li Liming, after decade of research and practice. The two standards were developed based on the China Kadoorie Biobank Study and aimed to formulate professional standards and standardized operation procedures that met the nationals conditions, with strong operability and generality of population cohort establishments. The group standards were also aimed to guide the establishments for other population-based cohort studies to maximum support the decision making and practice for disease control and prevention. The increasing disease burden of non-communicable disease (NCD) became severe public health problem and the etiology for NCD is complex. Large cohort studies, which became more popular recently, played an important role in observation and explanation of NCD etiology and risk factors. Under the current situation with growing number of large cohort studies, it is necessary to have a standard, which could be shared and used to guide other professional as critical scientific protocols. CPMA was committed to promoting the development of group standards in the field of public health, and supporting the implementation of the Healthy China Strategy.

Building Asia-Pacific Regional Institution: The Role of APEC

Strategies to Operationalize Health Equity in Island Area Health Departments.

Public health laws have significant impact to improve public's health and essential to achieving the sustainable development goals. Human Rights legislation and advancing the Right to Health approaches are seen as key to tackling social determinants of health and widening health inequalities. Health law is not just the work of lawyers, legislators and enforcers. There is growing expectations and need for public health practitioners and leaders to understand local and international legal systems and obligations and their critical role in improving and protecting the public's health, and to work in strategic partnership to improve population health through law and policy. Yet such issues are often neglected in educational and training programmes in public health and their practical implications poorly understood and appreciated by practitioners. The purpose of this workshop is to highlight the nature and key role of law in improving public's health in practice, and to share the work by NHS Scotland and Wales in considering human rights and right to health approaches in their day to day to day activities and projects in public health. It will highlight practical issues and ideas in advancing the political goal of public health law reform and getting the right to health approaches into day to day practice and activities. This will include options to include educational and training activities for the public health workforce, including its practical inclusion in public health curriculum. It will share case study of the innovative and powerful “Wellbeing of Future Generations Act” in Wales and its implications for public's health and practice. The panel for the workshop will be senior expert experienced public health legal scholars, practitioners and policy makers who will briefly share their expert perspectives on the issue and the projects. One of the elements of the roundtable workshop will be to reflect and consult with the participants around their experience and insights in considering public law and right to health approaches in their practice and the needs, opportunities and barriers to engage more systematically in strategic partnerships and activities around better understanding and use of public health law to protect and improve public's health and the training and educational needs to advance the agenda. Key messages Strengthening public health laws and advancing right to health approaches are vital to improving public’s health and tackling health inequalities. There is need to build capacity and competency of public health leaders and practitioners around public health law and strategic partnerships to improve population health.

New year greetings from the Editor-in-Chief of the Asia–Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing

Asia Pacific: Cervical Cancer Screening and Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Policy and Delivery

BackgroundAn emerging infectious disease (EID) refers to a disease that has recently appeared in a population or one that has rapidly increased in incidence or geographic range. Examples of EIDs include Ebola, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis E and the vector‐borne diseases caused by Zika and dengue virus. EIDs pose a risk to transfusion safety, which can be direct, if the agent can be transmitted through blood transfusion, or indirect, where outbreaks reduce the pool of available donors. Although examples of both have been observed, the former will be the focus of this review. Many transfusion risks have become global due to globalization and increased international travel; however, unique region‐specific concerns exist. The Asia–Pacific region varies in size depending on context, but for the purposes of this review will be defined as South‐East Asia, East Asia and Oceania. This region is a hotspot for genetic diversity, as well as the emergence of a number of infectious diseases. The Asia–Pacific region is also geographically, culturally, socio‐economically and climatically diverse. Moreover, the level of sophistication in blood operators within this region varies, from a national supplier based on voluntary blood donors as is seen in Australia to hospital‐based services relying on replacement donors, which is seen in many nations across the Pacific.AimsTo review current EID risks to blood transfusion safety in the Asia–Pacific region.MethodsReview of available public health reports and literature for the occurrence of EIDs in the Asia–Pacific region that pose a transfusion risk.ResultsEIDs that pose a transfusion risk occur across the Asia–Pacific region, with differing levels of endemicity between and within countries. Reports of hepatitis E virus (HEV) sero‐positivity vary from 2·2% in Fiji to 15·2% in Papua New Guinea. As a result of high HEV prevalence in the Hokkaido region of Japan, HEV nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) has been implemented for screening blood donations. Dengue infection is widespread across the Asia–Pacific, with major outbreaks occurring in 2014 in Fiji, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. In Australia, dengue is episodic in the north‐east, resulting in donation restrictions in affected areas. Zika virus emerged in the Asia–Pacific in early 2007 and outbreaks have spread across the Pacific, with epidemics in French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Easter Island and New Caledonia. Due to the theoretical transfusion risk, several preventative procedures were implemented in French Polynesia during an outbreak in 2013, including NAT.Summary/conclusionsEIDs pose a transfusion risk globally, and in the Asia–Pacific region. A number of EIDs that can be transmitted through blood transfusion are endemic to the Asia–Pacific, with countries managing the transfusion risk depending on the level of endemicity of the agent in question, and the maturity of blood operations in each county. Climate change is predicted to increase the distribution and density of a range of disease vectors, which is likely to increase the transmission of a number of vector‐borne diseases, representing a significant threat to the maintenance of a safe blood supply in the future.

To collect data on public health collaborations with schools of pharmacy, we sent a short electronic survey to accredited and preaccredited pharmacy programs in 2015. We categorized public health collaborations as working or partnering with local and/or state public health departments, local and/or state public health organizations, academic schools or programs of public health, and other public health collaborations. Of 134 schools, 65 responded (49% response rate). Forty-six (71%) responding institutions indicated collaborations with local and/or state public health departments, 34 (52%) with schools or programs of public health, and 24 (37%) with local and/or state public health organizations. Common themes of collaborations included educational programs, community outreach, research, and teaching in areas such as tobacco control, emergency preparedness, chronic disease, drug abuse, immunizations, and medication therapy management. Interdisciplinary public health collaborations with schools of pharmacy provide additional resources for ensuring the health of communities and expose student pharmacists to opportunities to use their training and abilities to affect public health. Examples of these partnerships may stimulate additional ideas for possible collaborations between public health organizations and schools of pharmacy.