Prevention Of Infectious Diseases Research Articles

17β-Estradiol Mediates Staphylococcus aureusAdhesion in Vaginal Epithelial Cells via Estrogen Receptor α-Associated Signaling Pathway.

Staphylococcus aureus, a major opportunistic pathogen in aerobic vaginitis (AV), can potentially invade the host and occasionally cause infections. Estrogen is associated with an altered immune response of vaginal epithelial cells and prevention of certain vaginal infectious diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms involving estrogen and S. aureus adhesion to vaginal epithelial cells remain unclear. Thus, here, VK2/E6E7 vaginal epithelial cells were infected with S. aureus, and the role of the estrogen receptor α-associated signaling pathway (ERα/FAK/Src/iNOS axis) in S. aureus adhesion was evaluated. The estrogen-associated phosphorylation status of ERα, FAK, and Src and the protein level of iNOS were assessed by western blotting. We used a specific ERα inhibitor to validate the involvement of the ERα-associated signaling pathway. The results showed that with exposure to 1nM estrogen for 24h, transient ERα-associated pathway activation was observed, and the protein expression upregulation was accompanied by a dose-dependent increase in 17-β-estradiol (E2) content and increased S. aureus adherence to vaginal epithelial cells. Estrogen-induced activation of the ERα/FAK/Src/iNOS axis was notably inhibited by the specific ERα inhibitor (ICI 182780). Simultaneously, a significant decrease in the number of adherent S. aureus was observed. However, this inhibitory effect diminished after inhibitor treatment for 24h. Our findings suggested that the ERα-associated signaling pathway might be involved in S. aureus adherence to vaginal epithelial cells, which appeared to be linked to enhanced cell adhesion leading to AV.

From Snow's map of cholera transmission to dynamic catchment boundary delineation: current front lines in spatial analysis.

The history of mapping infectious diseases dates back to the 19th century when Dr John Snow utilised spatial analysis to pinpoint the source of the 1854 cholera outbreak in London, a ground-breaking work that laid the foundation for modern epidemiology and disease mapping (Newsom, 2006). As technology advanced, so did mapping techniques. In the late 20th century, geographic information systems (GIS) revolutionized disease mapping by enabling researchers to overlay diverse datasets to visualise and analyse complex spatial patterns (Bergquist & Manda 2019; Hashtarkhani et al., 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic showed that disease mapping is particularly valuable for optimising prevention and control strategies of infectious diseases by prioritising geographical targeting interventions and containment strategies (Mohammadi et al., 2021). Today, with the aid of highresolution satellite imagery, geo-referenced electronic data collection systems, real-time data feeds, and sophisticated modelling algorithms, disease mapping has become a feasible and accessible tool for public health officials in tracking, managing, and mitigating the spread of infectious diseases at global, regional and local scales (Hay et al., 2013). [...].

The Effectiveness of Social Interventions in Reducing Stigma of Covid-19

Social stigma can encourage someone to hide their illness so they don't get society's discrimination. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of social interventions to reduce stigma towards changes in the behavior of housewives in the prevention and control of Covid-19. The research was conducted in the working area of the Helvetia Health Center, Medan Helvetia District, Medan City, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The population in this study were all housewives in the research locus. Calculation of the minimum sample using a two-proportion hypothesis test for the intervention and control groups (n = 150). The selection of the sample used a simple random sampling technique. The intervention group was given a social intervention by a change agent for Covid 19. The controls were given government program interventions to prevent Covid 19. Respondent's behavior was measured before and after treatment using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed by paired t-test and independent t-test. The results of the study showed that social interventions through providing counseling by covid-19 change agents were more effective in reducing stigma through behavior change (p-value <0.05). The findings of this study can be a new understanding in the preparation of intervention programs for the prevention and control of infectious diseases related to stigma in general and Covid 19 in particular.

The fear of loss of autonomy as lever for vaccination of the elderly: a qualitative study

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the challenges of vaccination and the infectious risks among the elderly. According to available data, vaccination rates for recommended vaccines in this population are insufficient in France. The aim is to identify the levers and obstacles to vaccination among seniors, and then to shed light on the possible arguments that could lead to a commitment to new vaccination behaviours. A qualitative survey based on 14 semi-structured interviews was conducted with people aged 65 and over, living at home in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region (France) from March to May 2022. The interviews were recorded, transcribed in their entirety and then subjected to a thematic content analysis by two independent persons. The participants declared themselves to be in good health and to be concerned about maintaining their health by keeping their physical and cognitive capacities and their autonomy. To this end, they mentioned carrying out preventive behaviours, such as regular physical activity and a balanced diet. However, vaccination, which is associated with infectious disease prevention, was not mentioned as a factor in the prevention of good ageing during the interviews. Participants’ experiences of the polio epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted older people's fears of infections. While infections are not a source of fear, their after-effects, more specifically, physical and cognitive alterations leading to a loss of autonomy, are a source of apprehension. These elements could be a good lever to bring hesitant elderly people to think about their own vaccination. In the light of these elements, given the protection against cardiovascular events provided by vaccinations for the elderly (influenza, shingles, pneumococcus), this argument could be the starting point for a prevention campaign aimed at the elderly. This avenue will be tested more precisely and with a larger number of subjects in a quantitative study based on a questionnaire. Key messages • the protection against cardiovascular events provided by vaccinations for the elderly (influenza, shingles, pneumococcus) seems to be argument could be change vaccination behavior. • Older people are not afraid of infections but of the consequences they can have, such as loss of autonomy.

The approach to developing Ireland’s first national health protection strategy and lessons learnt

Abstract Health protection is recognised as an essential public health function by the World Health Organization. It includes the prevention and control of infectious disease, environmental and radiation risks, and the emergency response to major incidents. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of strengthening this function worldwide. To address this as a public health priority in Ireland, between January and October 2022 the first national first Health Protection Strategy (2022-2027) for the Health Service Executive (HSE) was developed. This was led by the then National Clinical Director for Health Protection supported by a Project Working Group (PWG), with governance and oversight from a multi-disciplinary Steering Committee (SC). Key steps in strategy formation included detailed stakeholder analysis, exploration of the policy context for the strategy, and development of a consultation plan with guidance of an external facilitator. Two SC consultation workshops were held (March and June 2022). Workshop 1 focused on defining strategic vision, aim, and objectives. Workshop 2 verified objectives and identified enablers. A subsequent e-consultation invited feedback from wider stakeholders (July 2022). The strategy, published 13th October 2022, outlines 10 strategic objectives and 11 associated enablers. Progression of strategy implementation will require further stakeholder engagement, development of implementation plans, and establishment of a monitoring and evaluation framework, including annual review of implementation. Strengths of the strategy development approach included multidisciplinary SC input and oversight, review of the national and international policy context, detailed stakeholder analysis and engagement, and the comprehensive consultation plan developed with external facilitator input. Lessons from our experience can support colleagues internationally to strategically set out their priorities for health protection beyond COVID-19. Key messages • The development of the first HSE Health Protection Strategy 2022-2027 is a critical step to ensure a clear framework for the delivery of national health protection functions going forward. • As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, public health bodies should strategically set out priorities for health protection beyond COVID-19 – lessons from our experience in doing so can inform this work.

Attitudes towards the childhood immunisation programme among Polish immigrants in Norway

Abstract Background Norwegian-born children by Polish-born parents have lower coverage of some childhood vaccines than the general population in the nationwide Childhood Immunisation Programme. However, we know little about why this group have lower coverage. This study explored attitudes towards the Childhood Immunisation Programme among Polish immigrants in Norway. This knowledge can enhance vaccine information and further improve the prevention of infectious diseases in Norway. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 Polish immigrants in Norway in the fall of 2022. The project explored vaccination in general, while the focus herein is on child vaccination. To better understand how the experiences and knowledge shape the participants’ attitudes towards vaccines and vaccination, the data was inductively analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis is ongoing, and results are thus preliminary. Results Most of the participants had lived more than 10 years in Norway, while three had lived here for less than five years. All the participants had children. Based on the thematic analysis, we focused on three sub themes: 1) view of the child immunisation programme; 2) vaccine hesitancy; and 3) differences in childhood vaccination between Poland and Norway. Most of the participants’ children followed the immunisation programme. Some reported hesitancy towards the pneumococcal vaccine and the human papilloma virus vaccine. The majority of the participants expressed feeling less vaccine pressure in Norway than Poland and emphasized a high level of trust in the Norwegian health authorities. Conclusions The knowledge related to vaccine attitudes and differences between the Polish and the Norwegian programmes identified in the study, can help adapt better vaccine information and further improve the prevention of infectious diseases in Norway in general and for under-vaccinated groups in particular. Key messages • This knowledge can be used to adapt better vaccine information. • This knowledge can help to improve the prevention of infectious diseases in Norway and for under-vaccinated groups in particular.

RT-RPA-assisted CRISPR/Cas12a for rapid and multiplex detection of respiratory infectious viruses based on centrifugal microfluidics

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based nucleic acid detection technology combined with recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) allows for convenient, rapid, and highly sensitive nucleic acid detection. However, the non-specific cleavage characteristics of Cas12a after activation during the CRISPR nucleic acid detection process limit the detection of multiple targets. In this study, we designed a pressure-assisted and centrifugal-driven microfluidic chip for detecting respiratory pathogens. This chip achieved a high-sensitivity detection of 14 targets within 30 min. By freeze-drying, the detection reagents can be stored in the natural environment for one week and then stored at low temperature with little influence on biological activity, which reduces the difficulty of storage and transportation. The chip had independent amplification chambers to avoid competitive reactions, separating the amplification and detection chambers prevented mutual interference between the RPA and the CRISPR detection processes. Thus, this design exhibited a sensitivity of 2 copies/μL and 14 targets nucleic acids can be detected simultaneously. Compared with real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using real clinical samples of SARS-CoV-2, the new method could accurately detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus and identify the virus subtypes, which is important for infectious disease prevention and control.

Chronology and problems of the evolution of HIV infection in the Vologda Region in the structure of the North-West of the Russian Federation

Aim. To determine the general patterns and distinctive features of the formation of the HIV epidemic in chronology in various administrative territories of the Vologda Region.Materials and methods. The data of the epidemiological survey maps of HIV infection foci, reports «Causes of mortality of HIV-infected», statistical observations were analyzed: form No. 61 «Information on the contingent of HIV-infected patients», form No. 4 of the Federal State Statistical Observation, forms of the Vologda Regional Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS and Infectious Diseases, materials of the North-Western District Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS. Dynamic monitoring of the HIV epidemic in the Vologda Region (since 1995) and evaluation of the effectiveness of the national project to combat HIV infections were carried out.Results and discussion. On the territory of the Vologda Region, the trend of stability of the indicator of HIV infection remains. The prevalence of the population is increasing, accompanied by the identification of patients at late stages with the manifestation of secondary diseases. In the region, the HIV epidemic corresponds to the main trends of the epidemic process in the North-Western Federal District (NWFD) with some differences. The dominant transmission routes are parenteral (39.9% in 2021) and heterosexual. Over the past 5 years, there has been an upward trend in homosexual transmission of infection among men who have sex with a men (MSM), the share of which increased in 2021 by 2 times compared to 2017 and amounted to 3.1%. The detection rate in 2021, calculated for 100 thousand surveyed, in the Vologda Region was 111.3 (in the NWFD — 160.1). The highest detection rate of HIV infection was observed among MSM — 14.3% (in the NWFD — 4.1%), among injecting drug users (IDUs) — 1.0% (in the NWFD — 1.1%), among persons in prison — 1.8% (in the NWFD — 1.8%). One of the main causes of death in HIV-infected patients is the late detection of the disease and the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). During the entire period of observation, the epidemic was most intense in Cherepovets and Vologda, since 2000 there has been a gradual spread of infection with involvement in the process in rural areas.Conclusion. The results obtained demonstrate the importance of implementing different models of the main stages of diagnosis, prevention and treatment of people in urban and rural areas, which is included in the developing concept of personalized HIV medicine. It is necessary to carry out additional measures for the active identification and registration of dispensary patients, the formation of adherence to dispensary monitoring and therapy, the timely appointment of ART, the introduction of new approaches to providing medical care to HIV-infected patients in the districts of the region.

Machine learning algorithms in microbial classification: a comparative analysis

This research paper presents an overview of contemporary machine learning methodologies and their utilization in the domain of healthcare and the prevention of infectious diseases, specifically focusing on the classification and identification of bacterial species. As deep learning techniques have gained prominence in the healthcare sector, a diverse array of architectural models has emerged. Through a comprehensive review of pertinent literature, multiple studies employing machine learning algorithms in the context of microbial diagnosis and classification are examined. Each investigation entails a tabulated presentation of data, encompassing details about the training and validation datasets, specifications of the machine learning and deep learning techniques employed, as well as the evaluation metrics utilized to gauge algorithmic performance. Notably, Convolutional Neural Networks have been the predominant selection for image classification tasks by machine learning practitioners over the last decade. This preference stems from their ability to autonomously extract pertinent and distinguishing features with minimal human intervention. A range of CNN architectures have been developed and effectively applied in the realm of image classification. However, addressing the considerable data requirements of deep learning, recent advancements encompass the application of pre-trained models using transfer learning for the identification of microbial entities. This method involves repurposing the knowledge gleaned from solving alternate image classification challenges to accurately classify microbial images. Consequently, the necessity for extensive and varied training data is significantly mitigated. This study undertakes a comparative assessment of various popular pre-trained CNN architectures for the classification of bacteria. The dataset employed is composed of approximately 660 images, representing 33 bacterial species. To enhance dataset diversity, data augmentation is implemented, followed by evaluation on multiple models including AlexNet, VGGNet, Inception networks, Residual Networks, and Densely Connected Convolutional Networks. The results indicate that the DenseNet-121 architecture yields the optimal performance, achieving a peak accuracy of 99.08%, precision of 99.06%, recall of 99.00%, and an F1-score of 98.99%. By demonstrating the proficiency of the DenseNet-121 model on a comparatively modest dataset, this study underscores the viability of transfer learning in the healthcare sector for precise and efficient microbial identification. These findings contribute to the ongoing endeavors aimed at harnessing machine learning techniques to enhance healthcare methodologies and bolster infectious disease prevention practices.

Monitoring breed diversity and incidence of diseases in the dog population of the shelter ANO “Help to Homeless Dogs”

Large industrial centers and cities are faced with the need to regulate the number of domestic animals, including the reduction of stray dogs. Monitoring the reasons for dogs entering shelters, studying their breed; balance of the most significant diseases as possible sources of replenishment of shelters. The return of lost dogs is an integral part of the task of finding them in a shelter and at the same time it is a complete comprehensive examination and prevention of the spread of diseases in urban areas. Husky dogs are quite difficult to keep in apartments; when deciding to have such a pet, the choice must be objectively responsible. Treatment of the premises of the quarantine zone showed the high effectiveness of the drugs Monclavit-1 and Creolin for the prevention of infectious and parasitic diseases of dogs.

Investigating Awareness Regarding Travel-Related Infectious Disease Prevention in a Metropolitan Area.

The rise in international travel has led to an increase in travel-related infectious diseases. It is predicted that by 2030, the number of international travelers will reach 1.8 billion, with over 250 million people affected globally. This issue also has an economic impact, as the eradication of travel-related infectious diseases leads to a loss of USD 12 billion in tourism. To understand the association between demographic variables and knowledge, attitude, and behaviors related to travel-related infectious diseases, a cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted among 1191 individuals in the metropolitan city of Naples, Italy. Multiple linear regression was performed over three models. The results revealed that knowledge about travel-related infectious diseases was positively associated with age, female gender, non-smoking habits, being single, and higher education attainment. The attitude towards travel-related infectious diseases was positively associated with being female, non-smoking habits, being single, higher education attainment, and a higher level of knowledge. A statistically significant association was observed between behaviors and non-smoking habits and between higher levels of knowledge and attitudes. To address this issue, public health programs could be implemented to improve behaviors in the general population. Overall, this study provides valuable information about the determinants of knowledge, attitude, and behaviors related to travel-related infectious diseases in the general population.

Recombinant surface display vaccine enhances the immersion immune effect against grass carp reovirus in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is subject to a hemorrhagic disease caused by grass carp reovirus (GCRV), which can lead to mass mortality in grass carp culture, causing significant economic loss. Vaccination is the most promising strategy for the prevention of infectious diseases. Immersion vaccination is considered the most effective disease prevention method for juvenile fish because it can be implemented on many fish at once and administered without causing stress. However, immune responses by immersion vaccination are markedly less robust due to the skin barrier and insufficient antigen uptake. The display of heterologous proteins on the cell surface has been explored as a delivery system for viral antigens in veterinary and human vaccine studies. To improve the efficacy of the immersion vaccine, the major capsid protein (VP7) of GCRV was co-displayed with Aeromonas hydrophila outer membrane protein a (OmpA) and major adhesion protein (Mah) on the outer membrane surface of nonpathogenic Escherichia coli BL21 using the anchoring motif of ice-nucleation protein (Inp). The immune responses and protection efficiency against GCRV infection via both the injection and immersion routes were evaluated. The results indicated that the activities of anti-oxidant enzymes (ACP, AKP, SOD and T-AOC), as well as the expression of immune-related genes (TNF-α, IL-1β, MHCI and IgM) and specific VP7 antibody levels, were strongly increased in the grass carp from 7 to 21 days post-injection inoculation in a dose dependent manner. The cumulative mortality rates of injection-vaccinated groups were much lower than those of the control group after the GCRV challenge, and the relative percent survival (RPS) was greater than 80 %. Vitally, the surface co-display of vp7-Mah protein conferred marked protection to grass carp against GCRV infection after immersion administration (RPS >50 %); this was consistent with the production of high level of specific serum antibodies, non-specific immune responses, and the expression of immune-related genes. Moreover, the invasion analysis further showed that surface co-display of the vp7-Mah protein indeed significantly improved the invasion of E. coli BL21 (DE3) in vitro. Altogether, this study demonstrated that surface display GCRV core antigen vaccine system accompanied by invasion component from aquatic pathogenic microorganism is an effective prophylactic against GCRV viral diseases via the immersion administration approach.

Testing of inactivated vaccine against IB, ND and EDS-76 of domestic and imported production

Currently, the Russian poultry industry uses a wide arsenal of various associated inactivated vaccines that allow for effective prevention of infectious diseases. However, a significant share of vaccines used in Russia is represented by imported drugs. Such a situation in connection with the current geopolitical events indicates the need to focus on the production and use of high-quality domestic analogues of foreign drugs.Therefore, the purpose of this work was to conduct a comparative analysis of the use of inactivated associated vaccine against avian infectious bronchitis (IB), Newcastle disease (ND) and egg drop syndrome-76 (EDS-76) of domestic and imported production.To achieve this goal, two commercial samples of the associated inactivated emulsion vaccine against IB, ND and EDS76 were tested. The first sample of domestic production, the second foreign (Israel).The determination of the harmlessness and antigenic activity of both vaccine samples was carried out on 90-day-old egg chickens simultaneously.The results obtained allowed us to conclude that the samples of inactivated emulsion vaccine against IB, ND and EDS76 of domestic and imported production are harmless, have high antigenic activity, they are at the same level of indicators for the antigenic components included in their composition and for effectiveness.

LIMITATION OF PARENTAL CONSENT IN RESPECT OF VACCINATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA: GUIDANCE FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE UNITED STATES

For decades, immunisation has saved millions of lives in South Africa and prevented countless illnesses and disabilities in South Africa. Vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health. One example is paediatric immunisation, which prevents approximately three million child deaths worldwide each year and saves 750 000 more from disability. In addition to alleviating suffering and the prevention of infectious diseases by vaccination, it is also more cost-effective than treatment of infectious diseases once contracted. Nonetheless, the current vaccine climate is polarised, with some vaccine hesitancy in the population. Another conundrum that arises is the vaccine gauntlet between parent and child. The Department of Health announced in 2021 that children are to be vaccinated in South Africa with or without parental consent. In the context of our law and the requirements of informed consent, a child as young as 12 years of age can be vaccinated, unassisted. Several issues and concerns arise in the given circumstances: in one instance there might be an implied threat that a parent’s wish will be undermined and circumvented by the Department of Health and, in another, that a child’s own wish to be vaccinated or not will be ignored. This article examines the conflict over parent and child consent in relation to the Covid-19 vaccination. The current legal framework regarding minors’ consent in South Africa is discussed. Thereafter, the article analyses the consent in respect of children required for the Covid-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom and the United States. The article concludes by exploring recommendations to bridge the divide that exists between parent and child when they have opposing views on vaccinations in certain instances.

Casual effects of gut microbiota on risk of infections: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

The correlation between gut microbiota and infections has garnered significant attention in previous studies; nevertheless, our understanding of the causal relationships and mechanisms between specific microbial species and infections remains limited. This study aimed to employ Mendelian randomization (MR) using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genome-wide association study (GWAS) data of European ancestry to explore the genetic-level relationships between distinct types of gut microbiota and susceptibility to infections. Our analysis encompassed three prevalent infections: intestinal infections, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections, while concurrently examining various types of gut microbiota. We identified 18 protective gut microbiotas alongside 13 associated with increased infection risk. Particularly noteworthy are certain microbial communities capable of producing butyrate, such as the Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae families, which exhibited both favorable and unfavorable effects. Additionally, we observed a few certain communities linked to infection susceptibility, including ErysipelotrichaceaeUCG003 (OR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.054-0.33, p = 1.24E-05), Collinsella (OR = 3.25, 95% CI: 2.00-5.27, p = 1.87E-06), and NB1n (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.09-1.40, p = 1.12E-03). This study reveals complex relationships between gut microbiota and various infections. Our findings could potentially offer new avenues for exploring prevention and treatment strategies for infectious diseases.

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine requires signal peptide to induce antibody responses

New SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to prevail worldwide, and effective vaccines are needed to prevent an epidemic. mRNA vaccines are gradually being applied to the prevention and control of infectious diseases with significant safety and effectiveness. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 is the main target of mRNA vaccine design, but the impact of the signal peptide (SP), transmembrane region (TM), and cytoplasmic tail (CT) on mRNA vaccine remains unclear. In this study, we constructed three forms of mRNA vaccines related to the S protein: full-length, deletion of the TM and CT, and simultaneous deletion of the SP, TM and CT, and compared their immunogenicity. Our experimental data show that full-length S protein and deletion of the TM and CT could effectively induce neutralizing antibody production in mice, while S protein without the SP and TM could not. This indicates that the S protein SP is necessary for the design of mRNA vaccine.

A comprehensive dataset of animal-associated sarbecoviruses

Zoonotic spillover of sarbecoviruses (SarbeCoVs) from non-human animals to humans under natural conditions has led to two large-scale pandemics, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic in 2003 and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Knowledge of the genetic diversity, geographical distribution, and host specificity of SarbeCoVs is therefore of interest for pandemic surveillance and origin tracing of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. This study presents a comprehensive repository of publicly available animal-associated SarbeCoVs, covering 1,535 viruses identified from 63 animal species distributed in 43 countries worldwide (as of February 14,2023). Relevant meta-information, such as host species, sampling time and location, was manually curated and included in the dataset to facilitate further research on the potential patterns of viral diversity and ecological characteristics. In addition, the dataset also provides well-annotated sequence sets of receptor-binding domains (RBDs) and receptor-binding motifs (RBMs) for the scientific community to highlight the potential determinants of successful cross-species transmission that could be aid in risk estimation and strategic design for future emerging infectious disease control and prevention.

Research and reflection on the diversified method system of multi-stages and multi-scenarios surveillance and early warning of infectious diseases

With the outbreak of infectious diseases, more and more attention has been paid to surveillance and early warning work. Timely and accurate monitoring data is the basis of infectious diseases prevention and control. Effective early warning methods for infectious diseases can improve the timeliness and sensitivity of early warning work. This paper briefly introduces the intelligent early warning model of infectious diseases, summarizes the emerging surveillance and early warning methods of infectious diseases, and seeks the possibility of diversified surveillance and early warning in different epidemic stages and different outbreak scenarios of infectious diseases. This paper puts forward the idea of constructing a diversified method system of infectious diseases surveillance and early warning based on multi-stages and multi-scenarios and discusses the future development trend of infectious diseases surveillance and early warning, in order to provide reference for improving the construction level of infectious diseases surveillance and early warning system in China.

Early monitoring-to-warning Internet of Things system for emerging infectious diseases via networking of light-triggered point-of-care testing devices.

Early monitoring and warning arrangements are effective ways to distinguish infectious agents and control the spread of epidemic diseases. Current testing technologies, which cannot achieve rapid detection in the field, have a risk of slowing down the response time to the disease. In addition, there is still no epidemic surveillance system, implementing prevention and control measures is slow and inefficient. Motivated by these clinical needs, a sample-to-answer genetic diagnosis platform based on light-controlled capillary modified with a photocleavable linker is first developed, which could perform nucleic acid separation and release by light irradiation in less than 30seconds. Then, on site polymerase chain reaction was performed in a handheld closed-loop convective system. Test reports are available within 20 min. Because this method is portable, rapid, and easy to operate, it has great potential for point-of-care testing. Additionally, through multiple device networking, a real-time artificial intelligence monitoring system for pathogens was developed on a cloud server. Through data reception, analysis, and visualization, the system can send early warning signals for disease control and prevention. Thus, anti-epidemic measures can be implemented effectively, and deploying and running this system can improve the capabilities for the prevention and control of infectious diseases.

Influence of medical and social factors on parents' attitude to specific prevention of infectious diseases in children of the Saratov region during the new coronavirus infection pandemic

Objective: to analyze the influence of medical and social factors on the attitude of parents to the specific prevention of infectious diseases in children during the pandemic of a new coronavirus infection. Material and methods. Anonymous questioning of parents on the attitude to vaccination was conducted. A specially designed questionnaire included questions about attitudes towards vaccines included in the National Immunization Schedule, as well as those not included in it, in particular, the desire of parents to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 was assessed. In total, 153 people aged 17 to 42 took part in the survey — parents of children aged 1 to 14 years. Results. All parents under 18 years of age support vaccination in accordance with the National Vaccination Calendar; 52.1% of parents aged 18—25 years (p < 0.001), 55.6% of parents aged 26—35 years (p < 0.001 compared to parents under 18 years old), and 66.7% of parents over 35 years old (p < 0.001 compared to parents under 18 years old and parents 18—35 years old). Conclusion. The main medical and social factors associated with the refusal to carry out preventive vaccinations for their children are: the age of parents under 35, incomplete higher education and trust in information received on the Internet. The results obtained indicate the need to determine the «risk group» among parents who express doubts about the need for vaccination. It is necessary to conduct educational programs for them in order to form a positive attitude towards the specific prevention of infectious diseases.