Infectious Disease Epidemics Research Articles

Government-sponsored disinformation and the severity of respiratory infection epidemics including COVID-19: A global analysis, 2001–2020

Internet misinformation and government-sponsored disinformation campaigns have been criticized for their presumed/hypothesized role in worsening the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We hypothesize that these government-sponsored disinformation campaigns have been positively associated with infectious disease epidemics, including COVID-19, over the last two decades. By integrating global surveys from the Digital Society Project, Global Burden of Disease, and other data sources across 149 countries for the period 2001–2019, we examined the association between government-sponsored disinformation and the spread of respiratory infections before the COVID-19 outbreak. Then, building on those results, we applied a negative binomial regression model to estimate the associations between government-sponsored disinformation and the confirmed cases and deaths related to COVID-19 during the first 300 days of the outbreak in each country and before vaccination began. After controlling for climatic, public health, socioeconomic, and political factors, we found that government-sponsored disinformation was significantly associated with the incidence and prevalence percentages of respiratory infections in susceptible populations during the period 2001–2019. The results also show that disinformation is significantly associated with the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of cases of COVID-19. The findings imply that governments may contain the damage associated with pandemics by ending their sponsorship of disinformation campaigns.

Association of neighborhood greenness with severity of hand, foot, and mouth disease

BackgroundHand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is an epidemic infectious disease in China. Relationship of neighborhood greenness with human health has been widely studied, yet its association with severe HFMD has not yet been established.MethodsIndividual HFMD cases that occurred in Guangdong province in 2010 were recruited and were categorised into mild and severe cases. Residential greenness was assessed using global land cover data. We used a case-control design (i.e., severe versus mild cases) with logistic regression models to assess the association between neighborhood greenness and HFMD severity. Effect modification was also examined.ResultsA total of 131,606 cases were included, of whom 130,840 were mild cases and 766 were severe cases. In an unadjusted model, HFMD severity increased with higher proportion of neighborhood greenness (odds ratio, OR = 1.029, 95%CI: 1.009–1.050). The greenness-HFMD severity association remained (OR = 1.031, 95%CI: 1.006–1.057) after adjusting for population density, demographic variables and climate variables. Both population density (Z = 4.148, P < 0.001) and relative humidity (Z = -4.297, P < 0.001) modified the association between neighborhood greenness and HFMD severity. In the stratified analyses, a protective effect (OR = 0.769, 95%CI: 0.687–0.860) of greenness on HFMD severity were found in the subgroup of population density being lower than and equal to 5 ln(no.)/km2. While in both the subgroups of population density being higher than 5, the greenness had hazard effects (subgroup of > 5 & ≤7: OR = 1.071, 95%CI: 1.024–1.120; subgroup of > 7: OR = 1.065, 95%CI: 1.034–1.097) on HFMD severity. As to relative humidity, statistically significant association between greenness and HFMD severity was only observed in the subgroup of being lower than and equal to 76% (OR = 1.059, 95%CI: 1.023–1.096).ConclusionsOur study found that HFMD severity is associated with the neighborhood greenness in Guangdong, China. This study provides evidence on developing a prevention strategy of discouraging the high-risk groups from going to the crowded green spaces during the epidemic period.

Factors Affecting the Perception and Practice of Iranian Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Pastoralists in Regard to Biosecurity Practices in Sheep and Goat Farms: A Cross-Sectional and Prospective Study

Preventing the spread of diseases between and within farms (biosecurity) is essential for minimizing animal mortality and morbidity, as well as for reducing the risk of spread of zoonotic diseases. These effects are even greater in countries such as Iran, which have to deal with multiple ongoing epidemics of infectious disease. However, there is currently no published information about biosecurity practices on sheep and goat farms in Iran in published research. The aim of this study was to collect such information and to identify some of the factors affecting biosecurity practices. Data were gathered using a checklist and in-depth interviews with 99 nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralists. Regression analysis was used to identify the relationships between the collected variables and the biosecurity scores. The results showed that neither within- nor between-farm disease prevention measures were appropriately applied on most farms (median total score of total biosecurity was 37.3/90; Q1 = 29.0 and Q3 = 44.7). Almost all the farmers reported slaughtering animals on farms and nobody properly disposed of the bodies of the dead animals. Additionally, the majority of the participants did not disinfect the umbilical cords of newborns. Of the collected variables, the annual mortality rate was associated with most within-farm biosecurity practices. The increase in annual mortality rates was associated with the regular cleaning of troughs (p = 0.03), preventing feed and water from being contaminated by urine and feces (p = 0.02), providing a clean and dry place for animals to rest (p = 0.05) and disinfecting the navel cord (p = 0.03). The results of this survey suggest that there is a clear need for extension programs to enhance Iranian and sheep and goat farmers’ perceptions and practices regarding biosecurity measures.

Compulsion Symptoms among Health Care Providers during the Pandemic of Corona at Baghdad Teaching Hospital

Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the compulsion among health care providers during the pandemic of COVID-19.&#x0D; Methodology: a descriptive design was used in the present study. This study was conducted from October 10th, 2020 through May 20th, 2021. The study was conducted on a probability (convenient) sample of 248 physicians and nurses who work at Baghdad Teaching hospital in Baghdad city. The instrument was used in this study is the COVID Stress Scale-Arabic version (CSS).&#x0D; Results: The result of this study showed that 42 % of HCPs had moderate symptoms and 36% of them had mild compulsive symptoms, and only 13% have severe compulsive symptoms according to the score of COVID stress scale.&#x0D; Conclusions: 78.6 % of the participants had mild to moderate compulsive and 13.7% had sever compulsion.&#x0D; Recommendations: All HCPs must get regular and thorough training on how to deal with the pandemic, and there is a need for more researches on how infectious disease epidemics affect the mental health of HCPs.

The undead new world: Zombie epidemics’ apocalyptic surroundings and social relations

The narratives of zombie films articulate social relations in the context of an apocalyic social environment, indicating unstoppable processes of disease spreading through the omnipresence of zombies as the primary infection carriers, emphasizing discourses of biological catastrophe, that is, epidemics of infectious diseases as a potential means of the end of a modern civilization. As portrayed in movies about zombies, epidemics could be observed as a type of imagined future of the virus, that is, as an advanced stage in infectious disease evolution, which leads to the deconstruction and complete collapse of the existing social system, and then to apocalyptic consequences and the forming of a new social order. An epidemic creates conditions in which previously known institutional organization ceases to exist and shapes individual behaviors that transform social environments to meet the demands of new social and biological discourses. Due to such circumstances, social surroundings are significantly changed, and disease establishes itself as a signifier of social strategies, relationships towards the infected, and the area for the redistribution of social power and livelihood. The aim of this paper is to reveal the ways of social reorganization and social disruption caused by the zombie epidemic, emphasizing the role of the disease in reshaping social groups and relationships, with the purpose of analyzing the ways in which movie narratives metaphorize the efficiency of infectious diseases.

An Age of Emerging and Reemerging Pandemic Threats

Today, we are confronted with an unprecedented crisis this world has never experienced before. Infectious diseases remain among the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Epidemics of new and old infectious diseases periodically emerge, greatly magnifying the global burden of infections. Humans are constantly exposed to a huge diversity of viruses, though those of others mammals are of greatest importance. Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 as an endemic virus may be fueled by pockets of susceptible individuals and waning immunity after infection or vaccination, changes in the virus through antigenic drift that diminish protection and re-entries from zoonotic reservoirs. Moreover, these viruses are very genetically diverse and new genotypes, strains and species evolve rapidly. The emergence of new human viruses is a long-standing and ongoing biological process. We must anticipate the emergence and/or discovery of more new human viruses in the coming years and decades. The spillover of viruses from animals to humans is the major source of pandemic risk. Life threatening situations demand extraordinary response and more stringent measures to contain the pandemic. The first line of defence against emerging viruses is effective surveillance. Rapid detection and identification of emerging pathogen leading to the rapid introduction of preventive measures can prove highly effective in combating outbreaks of novel diseases. A coordinated, global surveillance network is essential if we are to ensure rapid detection of novel viruses. Improving the situation will require both political will and considerable investment in infrastructure, human capacity and new tools. To ensure global preparedness, newer vaccines, diagnostics and antiviral agents are being developed. Infectious diseases can be prevented at a variety of points, depending on the infectious cycle for the particular disease. Disease prevention, health promotion, strengthening public health systems, translational research, focus on drug discovery, tailored therapies by personalized precision medicine, developing newer effective and affordable vaccines are crucial to prevent and control emerging pandemics. The need of the day is to prioritize diagnostic tests and strengthen laboratory response network. Effective communication is an indispensable tool. In a world of 7.8 billion people, countries have to be in a state of emergency preparedness to tackle emerging infectious diseases. There is a need to stop pandemics before they start.

Transboundary Swine Infections in India: An Overview

In the recent past, India has seen a number of outbreaks and epidemics of transboundary infectious virus diseases associated with swine. Classical swine fever (CSF), African swine fever (ASF), Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) infections, Porcine parvovirus, Swine Influenza and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) infections are the major transboundary viral diseases prevalent in Indian swine populations. Understanding the impact of factors that provoke the emergence of viral infections is the major challenge faced in the control and prevention of emerging transboundary viral diseases. In-depth knowledge on disease status is crucial in successfully implementing disease control programs. The movement of animals influences the spread of pathogens in swine populations. This article gives insight into major emerging transboundary emerging viral infections of swine and their current status in India.

Impact of COVID-19 in the Hospital Activities of a Cardiology Department: Case of the General Hospital Idrissa Pouye in Dakar, Senegal in 2020

Introduction: In Senegal, at the end of 2020, there were a cumulative 18,728 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 390 deaths. Patients with cardiovascular disease were the most affected by this morbidity and mortality. This is why we were given the objective of analyzing the effect of COVID-19 on the hospital activities of a cardiology service in Senegal. In this case that of the General Idrissa Pouye Hospital (HOGIP), by comparing admissions, deaths, average monthly length of stay and overall annual mortality of the service in 2020 with each of the four previous years. Methodology: This was a descriptive study from January 2016 to December 2020 by retrospective data collection. The collection ran from January 5, 2021 to March 30, 2021. Statistical analysis was performed with Rstudio 4.1.0 statistical analysis software. We expressed these variables as their absolute values and then we calculated the difference between the absolute value of 2020 and that of each of the previous years, both on a monthly and annual scale for each of the variables. Finally, we calculated the annual global mortality (each year from 2012 to 2020). Results: The total number of admissions in 2020 was significantly lower than in 2016 (-7.59%), 2017 (-8.78%) and 2018 (-2.16%). On the other hand, it was clearly higher than that of 2019 (+12.83%). A record in admissions was found during the month of December 2020 compared to 2016 (+64.70%), 2017 (+95.34%), 2018 (+127.02%) and 2019 (+127.02%). The average monthly length of stay in 2020 was less than or equal to those of 2016 (-7.62%), 2017 (-8.57%), 2018 (-3.03%) and 2019 (-0.00%). The total number of annual deaths in 2020 was significantly lower than in 2016 (-24.39%), 2017 (-27.06%), 2018 (-39.81%) and 2019 (-23.46%). Over the 5 years of our study, the year 2020 was the least lethal in service with an overall annual mortality of 9.79%. Conclusion: COVID-19 being a viral transmissible pathology with pulmonary tropism, its mortality is due to both respiratory failure and cardiovascular damage. Its morbidity and mortality are supported by major non-communicable diseases and their risk factors (Heart disease, Asthma, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Diabetes, Smoking, Obesity, etc.). It, therefore, follows that the considerable drop in overall annual mortality in the service in 2020 can only be explained by a massive diversion of patients, to epidemic treatment centers and infectious diseases services, who should have, in normal times, been taken care of in cardiology departments until November 2020. In conclusion, we will say that the authorities should not relegate to the background, at any time, the fight against major non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, even in times of an infectious disease pandemic. They should capacity early cardiology services to maintain the offer of care and follow-up even in infectious and contagious contexts.

Study on the Scavenging Effect of Steady-state Displacement Air Purification System on Indoor Bioaerosol

Many kinds of microorganisms, including the new coronavirus, can spread through aerosols. There are abundant bio-aerosols in indoor medical environment, and these aerosols are likely to cause infections among medical staff and patients in hospitals. Especially in the current severe situation of the new coronavirus, the use of a steady-state displacement air purification system may have a certain effect on reducing the spread of the new coronavirus or other microorganisms. To analyze the purification effect of the steady-state displacement air purification system on the bio-aerosols in the bronchoscope room of the hospital. In this study, the bio-aerosol in the outpatient department of the Respiratory Medicine Department of the bronchoscope room were collected during different time periods from 2021.04 to 2021.05. Among them, the microorganisms contained in the bio-aerosol are identified by NGS and microorganism culture and strain identification. During the experiment, the researcher took 5 sampling points to collect aerosols, performing NGS and microbial culture counting and identification to detect microorganisms. The total purification efficiency are 88.0% (NGS) and 87.5% (microbial culture count and identification results). The results above was statistically significant. In an occupant environment in the bronchoscope room, the steady-state displacement air purification system has a good removal effect on bio-aerosols. Such purification efficiency may have a positive effect on the control of the new coronavirus epidemic and various infectious diseases.

ОБЩИЕ И СПЕЦИАЛЬНЫЕ ПОКАЗАТЕЛИ СМЕРТНОСТИ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ В РЕСПУБЛИКЕ БАШКОРТОСТАН В ПЕРИОД С 2018 ПО 2020 гг.

Significance. Mortality rate is an important indicator of health and presence of negative factors affecting health. Emergency situations result in a significant deterioration of health, including epidemics of infectious diseases. The purpose of the study is to analyze crude and cause-specific mortality rates in the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2018-2020. Material and methods. The main source of information was form No. C-51 “Distribution of the deceased by sex, age and causes of death” of the Territorial body of the Federal State Statistics Service of the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2018-2020. Results. In 2018-2020, the mortality rate in the Republic of Bashkortostan increased from 1243.2 to 1495.6 per 100 000 population (by 20.3%), including by 18.3% among males and 22.1%. among females. In the crud mortality structure, the share of diseases of the endocrine system increased from 4.2% to 5.8%, diseases of the respiratory system - from 5.6% to 13.1%, diseases of the musculoskeletal system - from 0.5% to 1.3 %, and symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions - from 3.0% to 8.1%. Among diseases of the respiratory system, the share of pneumonia increased up to 71.3%, being higher among females. The average age at death decreased by one year; increase in crude mortality was more pronounced among the urban population (an 24.5% increase) compared to the rural population (by 15.0%). Conclusions. In 2018-2020, the Republic of Bashkortostan reported increased mortality with the average age at death decreasing by one year in 2020; mortality among the urban population is 1.3 times higher compared to the rural population.

Study on Community Mobilization Mechanism in Joint Prevention and Control of Major Infectious Disease Epidemics

Study on Community Mobilization Mechanism in Joint Prevention and Control of Major Infectious Disease Epidemics

Reusable and universal impedimetric sensing platform for the rapid and sensitive detection of pathogenic bacteria based on bacteria-imprinted polythiophene film.

The rapid and sensitive detection of pathogenic bacteria is highly demanded for early warning of infectious disease epidemics and protection of human health. Herein, a reusable and universal impedimetric sensing platform based on a bacteria-imprinted polythiophene film (BIF) is proposed for the rapid and sensitive detection of pathogenic bacteria using Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) as a model analyte. Monomer screening among four 3-substituted thiophenes was first performed based on the imprinting factor, and 3-thiopheneethanol (TE) was eventually selected. The BIF as a recognition layer was quickly deposited in an environmentally friendly process on a glassy carbon electrode via electro-copolymerization of the S. aureus template and TE monomer followed by in situ template removal. Upon rebinding of S. aureus on the BIF, the impedance increased. Under optimal conditions, the BIF-based sensor can quantitatively detect S. aureus in a wide linear range of 10 to 107 CFU mL-1 with a low detection limit of 4 CFU mL-1. Additionally, the sensor exhibits excellent selectivity, capable of identifying S. aureus from multi-bacterial strain mixtures. It also demonstrates applicability in the analysis of real lettuce and shrimp samples with good recoveries. Most significantly, the BIF sensing interface can be reused up to five times with good signal retention. Compared with most reported methods, this sensor is more rapid with a much shorter total assay time of 30 min, including the BIF preparation, bacterial rebinding, and impedance detection. This assay may hold great potential to help in the rapid, sensitive, and label-free detection of pathogenic bacteria in fields of food safety and public health.

Impact of infectious disease epidemics on xenophobia: A systematic review

Background Globally, xenophobia towards out-groups is frequently increased in times of economic and political instability, such as in infectious disease outbreaks. This systematic review aims to: (1) assess the xenophobic attitudes and behaviors towards migrants during disease outbreaks; and (2) identify adverse health outcomes linked to xenophobia. Methods We searched nine scientific databases to identify studies measuring xenophobic tendencies towards international migrants during disease outbreaks and evaluated the resulting adverse health effects. Results Eighteen articles were included in the review. The findings were grouped into: (1) xenophobia-related outcomes, including social exclusion, out-group avoidance, support for exclusionary health policies, othering, and germ aversion; and (2) mental health problems, such as anxiety and fear. Depending on the disease outbreak, different migrant populations were negatively affected, particularly Asians, Africans, and Latino people. Factors such as perceived vulnerability to disease, disgust sensitivity, medical mistrust individualism, collectivism, disease salience, social representation of disease and beliefs in different origins of disease were associated with xenophobia. Conclusions Overall, migrants can be a vulnerable population frequently blamed for spreading disease, promoting irrational fear, worry and stigma in various forms, thus leading to health inequities worldwide. It is urgent that societies adopt effective support strategies to combat xenophobia and structural forms of discrimination against migrants.

Zadania państwa związane z epidemią choroby zakaźnej

For years, infectious diseases have been a significant social problem and thus a challenge for health care systems and state authorities. Outbreaks of these diseases in particular can lead to global health, social and economic crises. The nature of the threat, including the experiences resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic, justify the question of the tasks assigned to the state and its authorities in this area, both in the context of the adopted national and international regulations. The implementation of the right to health protection and the introduction of mechanisms allowing for the implementation of guarantees in the field of health safety are undoubtedly the two main goals-tasks decoded from the basic law. However, a fully effective model of counteracting infectious disease epidemics must be based on full international cooperation.

Dynamic Changes of Influenza A/H1N1 Epidemic Evaluated Based on the Kolmogorov Forward Equation

The individual-based infectious disease models show the important role of stochasticity in infectious disease prevention and control. To study these models and then determine the ranges of predictive variables, an increasingly common approach needs event-driven massive repetitive stochastic simulations. The study of the individual-based infectious disease models based on the Kolmogorov forward equation (KFE), not only could overcome the difficulty of repeated simulations, but could consider the probability of each state simultaneously. Therefore, according to the data of 2009 influenza A/H1N1 in the Xi’an 8th Hospital, to determine the rate of behavior change, an individual decision-making psychological model was established based on social network. Further, in order to obtain the probability distribution of each state in the process of infectious disease transmission, based on the modified individual SIR model, the KFE was derived through the Markov processes. The results show that, the numerical solution of the KFE gives the probability distribution of each state, the most serious period and the corresponding probability in the outbreak process of epidemic infectious diseases, so as to help understand the transmission process of A/H1N1 epidemic more quickly and accurately, which is valuable for the efficient prevention and control of A/H1N1 epidemic.

Burnout, posttraumatic stress disorder, and sleep quality among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review

Background and aims: Nurses are in direct contact with healthcare clients. Infectious diseases epidemics, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, cause high levels of stress for nurses. The aim of this study was to evaluate burnout, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and sleep quality (SQ) among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In this review, the Google Scholar, PubMed, ISI, Scopus, EMBASE, and Psych INFO databases were searched using the keywords "posttraumatic stress disorder", "burnout", "sleep quality", "nurse", "mental health", and "coronavirus disease 2019" to find relevant studies published in English between May 2020 to July 2021. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was used to appraise the quality of the retrieved studies. Results: The prevalence rates of burnout, PTSD, and low SQ were 25%–60%, 16%–68%, and 18%–38%, respectively. Nurses’ gender, job satisfaction, affiliated hospital ward, work experience, levels of stress and anxiety, and care provision in the frontline of COVID-19 care affected the prevalence of burnout, PTSD, and low SQ. Conclusion: Burnout, PTSD, and low SQ are highly prevalent among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological counseling centers in hospitals need to provide nurses with training and counseling about the management of their mental health problems.

Infrared Thermography for Measuring Elevated Body Temperature: Clinical Accuracy, Calibration, and Evaluation.

Infrared thermographs (IRTs) implemented according to standardized best practices have shown strong potential for detecting elevated body temperatures (EBT), which may be useful in clinical settings and during infectious disease epidemics. However, optimal IRT calibration methods have not been established and the clinical performance of these devices relative to the more common non-contact infrared thermometers (NCITs) remains unclear. In addition to confirming the findings of our preliminary analysis of clinical study results, the primary intent of this study was to compare methods for IRT calibration and identify best practices for assessing the performance of IRTs intended to detect EBT. A key secondary aim was to compare IRT clinical accuracy to that of NCITs. We performed a clinical thermographic imaging study of more than 1000 subjects, acquiring temperature data from several facial locations that, along with reference oral temperatures, were used to calibrate two IRT systems based on seven different regression methods. Oral temperatures imputed from facial data were used to evaluate IRT clinical accuracy based on metrics such as clinical bias (), repeatability, root-mean-square difference, and sensitivity/specificity. We proposed several calibration approaches designed to account for the non-uniform data density across the temperature range and a constant offset approach tended to show better ability to detect EBT. As in our prior study, inner canthi or full-face maximum temperatures provided the highest clinical accuracy. With an optimal calibration approach, these methods achieved a between ±0.03 °C with standard deviation () less than 0.3 °C, and sensitivity/specificity between 84% and 94%. Results of forehead-center measurements with NCITs or IRTs indicated reduced performance. An analysis of the complete clinical data set confirms the essential findings of our preliminary evaluation, with minor differences. Our findings provide novel insights into methods and metrics for the clinical accuracy assessment of IRTs. Furthermore, our results indicate that calibration approaches providing the highest clinical accuracy in the 37–38.5 °C range may be most effective for measuring EBT. While device performance depends on many factors, IRTs can provide superior performance to NCITs.

Omiški kraj u obrani od širenja epidemije kuge u godinama 1762-1765.

The Republic of Venice, whose prosperity depended primarily on unimpeded trade by land and sea, had long had a system of defence against infectious disease epidemics, particularly the plague as the biggest threat to the aforementioned trade. These measures were naturally applied in that part of Dalmatia under its authority. There, the city of Split was most imperilled by plague outbreaks as it was the main transit hub for goods arriving by land from the territory of the Ottoman Empire or by sea from Venice. Although to a lesser extent, the plague also threatened the areas of Omiš and Makarska, market towns that were more accessible to the populace from the hinterland, including the Imotski area and the south-western section of Herzegovina on the other side of the state border. A detailed overview of what had been undertaken from 1762 to 1765 to prevent outbreaks of the plague in the area under the authority of the Omiš provveditore was made possible by the extensive data contained in the records of the old Omiš archives, which were deposited in the provincial archives of the time in Zadar. These records simultaneously testify to the very arduous conditions for life and work by the domicile population in that period, as well as the efforts by the authorities to prevent death by starvation. This paper contains a series of data on everything undertaken at the orders of the Venetian central and provincial governments in the area under the jurisdiction of the Omiš provveditore to prevent the possible emergence and spread of the plague from 1762 to 1765 and the difficulties that ensued in the enforcement of these measures. Considerable attention is above all accorded to the surveillance of unpermitted travel by individuals and groups across the boundaries with neighbouring districts, i.e., Poljica and Imotski, and similarly to nearby islands. The border with the Ottoman Empire, whence the plague came into Dalmatia, was subject to the strictest supervision. Inside the Omiš area, particular care was dedicated to health inspections of travellers and goods at Dvare Fortress. A caravan route passed next to its walls and tower, whence coastal villages could be reached from the near or more remote interior and leading to the control stations before the entrances to the towns of Omiš and Makarska. A public health board with its seat in Omiš (Collegio di sanità d’Almissa) was responsible for the enforcement of all stipulated measures and specific decisionmaking related thereto. It selected its own delegate to the supervisory post next to Dvare Fortress, who collaborated with the Dvare superintendent responsible for the nearby village and the fortress commander. It should be noted that at least one member of the aforementioned board had to have a good working knowledge of the Croatian language and the Bosančica script, and such knowledge was also required of the Dvare delegates, who worked in shifts. Provisions stipulating the isolation of individual houses in cases of suspicion of the plague were strictly enforced. Groups of rural sentries (panduri) from villages in the Omiš area were posted in a specific order to guard the boundaries between individual neighbouring districts and the state border. Besides sentry duty, a major hardship for them after being relieved was the obligation to remain in isolation for several weeks in Viseć Fortress, whence they often escaped. The systematic overview of these circumstances contained in this paper may serve as an example for contemporaneous events in other territories of the Dalmatian Zagora region, for which the provveditore archives from that time were either not preserved or do not contain as many records on the topic, and also in cases of plague outbreaks before and thereafter, particularly from the beginning of the 1730s and 1780s.

A conceptual framework for analysing partnership and synergy in a global health alliance: case of the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team.

Partnerships have become increasingly important in addressing complex global health challenges, a reality exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and previous infectious disease epidemics. Partnerships offer opportunities to create synergistic outcomes by capitalizing on complimentary skills, knowledge and resources. Despite the importance of understanding partnership functioning, research on collaboration is sparse and fragmented, with few conceptual frameworks applied to evaluate real-life partnerships in global health. In this study, we aimed to adapt and apply the Bergan Model of Collaborative Functioning (BMCF) to analyse partnership functioning in the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST), a government–academic partnership, dedicated to outbreak response and research in low- and middle-income countries. We conducted a literature review identifying important elements to adapt the framework, followed by a qualitative case study to characterize how each element, and the dynamics between them, influenced functioning in the UK-PHRST, exploring emerging themes to further refine the framework. Elements of the BMCF that our study reinforced as important included the partnership’s mission, partner resources (skills, expertise and networks), leadership, the external environment, management systems and communication. Additional elements identified in the literature and critical to partnership functioning of the UK-PHRST included governance and financial structures adopted, trust and power balance, organizational culture, strategy and evaluation and knowledge management. Because of the way the UK-PHRST was structured, fostering team cohesion was an important indicator of synergy, alongside collaborative advantage. Dividing the funding and governance equally between organizations was considered crucial for maintaining institutional balance; however, diverse organizational cultures, weak communication practices and perceived power imbalances compromised team cohesion. Our analysis allowed us to make recommendations to improve partnership functioning at a critical time in the evolution of the UK-PHRST. The analysis approach and framework presented here can be used to evaluate and strengthen the management of global health partnerships to realize synergy.

Data science approaches to confronting the COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative review.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, more than ever, data science has become a powerful weapon in combating an infectious disease epidemic and arguably any future infectious disease epidemic. Computer scientists, data scientists, physicists and mathematicians have joined public health professionals and virologists to confront the largest pandemic in the century by capitalizing on the large-scale ‘big data’ generated and harnessed for combating the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we review the newly born data science approaches to confronting COVID-19, including the estimation of epidemiological parameters, digital contact tracing, diagnosis, policy-making, resource allocation, risk assessment, mental health surveillance, social media analytics, drug repurposing and drug development. We compare the new approaches with conventional epidemiological studies, discuss lessons we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlight opportunities and challenges of data science approaches to confronting future infectious disease epidemics.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Data science approaches to infectious disease surveillance’.