Major Disease Outbreaks Research Articles

Based on the time series model and decision tree model, whether wildlife trade should be banned for a long time summary

This article aims to study the main objects, objectives and trade trends of wildlife trade in recent years, as wildlife markets have been identified as the initiators of the outbreak and spread of the new coronavirus in 2020, and to collect and analyze the long-standing ban on wildlife trade. The data is graphed for visual analysis, and the Pearson correlation analysis method is used to analyze the relationship between wildlife trade and major infectious disease outbreak, social and economic impact indicators, and summarize the econom ic and social impact of this long-term ban. Then, the mathematical model we fit, combined with the current situation of the new crown epidemic, to provide effective, forward-looking, sustainable views and policy recommendations.

Human disturbance increases coronavirus prevalence in bats

Human land modification is a known driver of animal-to-human transmission of infectious agents (zoonotic spillover). Infection prevalence in the reservoir is a key predictor of spillover, but landscape-level associations between the intensity of land modification and infection rates in wildlife remain largely untested. Bat-borne coronaviruses have caused three major disease outbreaks in humans: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We statistically link high-resolution land modification data with bat coronavirus surveillance records and show that coronavirus prevalence significantly increases with the intensity of human impact across all climates and levels of background biodiversity. The most significant contributors to the overall human impact are agriculture, deforestation, and mining. Regions of high predicted bat coronavirus prevalence coincide with global disease hotspots, suggesting that infection prevalence in wildlife may be an important factor underlying links between human land modification and zoonotic disease emergence.

Functional Analysis Diagrams in Science and Technology Education

With the world currently facing an escalating environmental crisis and major virus disease outbreaks, the need to significantly grow the STEM workforce ranks has never been more urgent. The authors propose a novel teaching methodology involving functional analysis diagrams (FADs) as an educational aid. The paper presents a method to quantitatively assess the effects of the proposed intervention in an educational setting alongside a pilot study conducted in a South Korean secondary school with non-native English-speaking students (n = 39). The written assessment results indicate that the FAD-assisted method can have a measurable effect and have the potential to assist students with lower scores in English. This pilot study’s results suggest that FAD models of engineering systems can enhance knowledge transfers in technology and engineering education. Experimental validation using the proposed method was shown to be feasible and would require a moderate-sized sample (n ≥ 168) for a future full-scale study.

Epidemiological Analysis of Surveillance Data on Reportable Priority Cattle Disease Outbreaks and Vaccination Coverage in West Arsi Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

A retrospective study was conducted from July 2022 to September 2022 at West Arsi Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia, to identify major reportable cattle disease outbreaks and to understand the incidence, seasonal distribution, vaccination coverage and the trend of cattle disease outbreaks using passive surveillance data (DOVAR). From 1,560 DOVAR reports expected to be obtained at West Arsi Zone Agriculture Office Epidemiology Unit between 2012 and 2021, only 1,476 (11%) reports were available. A total of 1,496 cattle disease outbreaks with 1,889 cases and 346 deaths were recorded. The outbreaks were caused by Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) (35.7%), Blackleg (21.43%), Bovine pasteurellosis (15.71%), Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) (14.3%), Anthrax (11.42%) and Rabies (1.43%) in decreasing order. LSD was responsible for the highest cases (30.2%) followed by FMD (23.9%) while blackleg and LSD were the leading causes of cattle deaths, which accounted for 34.4% and 28.9% of the deaths recorded, respectively. In contrast, the lowest number of outbreaks, cases and deaths of cattle was caused by rabies. Disease outbreaks occurred in all the seasons of the year; however, a relatively higher number of outbreaks (60%) were recorded in the early dry season (September to November). This study has shown a very low level of disease outbreak reporting rate in the West Arsi Zone, which may be due to no reporting or no outbreak of diseases. Generally, this study generates information that will be used as a baseline for further epidemiological studies for the development of sustainable programs for the control of cattle disease outbreaks in the study area.

Screening Wild Pepper Germplasm for Resistance to Xanthomonas hortorum pv. gardneri

Bacterial spot disease on peppers is caused by four species of the genus Xanthomonas. This disease causes black spot lesions not only on the leaves but also on the fruit, leading to yield and quality loss. Xanthomonas species cause major disease outbreaks in tropical, subtropical and humid continental regions worldwide. Bacterial blight caused by xanthomonads occurs on both greenhouse- and field-grown peppers and is particularly important in areas characterized by hot and humid environmental conditions. As pesticides are currently not sufficiently effective in the control of bacterial spot, the development of pepper varieties resistant to Xanthomonas species, including X. hortorum pv. gardneri, is of primary importance for sustainable production. In our research, 119 lines of Capsicum baccatum from the USDA ARS gene bank (Griffin, GA) and MATE (Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences) were tested against strains of X. hortorum pv. gardneri under greenhouse conditions. Four accessions of the wild pepper species C. baccatum appeared to be resistant to seven strains of X. hortorum pv. gardneri in greenhouse trials. The resistant genotypes of X. hortorum pv. gardneri identified in this study can be used for the resistance gene pyramidation against different bacterial spotted Xanthomonas species in pepper.

Isolation of Primary Porcine Bronchial Epithelial Cells for Nipah Virus Infections.

The Malaysian strain of Nipah virus (NiV) first emerged in 1998/99 and caused a major disease outbreak in pigs and humans. While humans developed fatal encephalitis due to a prominent infection of brain microvessels, NiV-infected pigs mostly suffered from an acute respiratory disease and efficiently spread the infection via airway secretions. To elucidate the molecular basis of the highly productive NiV replication in porcine airways in vitro, physiologically relevant cell models that have maintained functional characteristics of airway epithelia in vivo are needed. Here, we describe in detail the method of isolating bronchial epithelial cells (PBEpC) from pig lungs that can be used for NiV infection studies. After the dissection of primary bronchia and removal of the mucus and protease digestion, bronchi segments are cut open and epithelial cells are scraped off and seeded on collagen-coated cell culture flasks. With this method, it is possible to isolate about 2×106 primary cells from the primary bronchi of one pig lung which can be cryopreserved or further subcultured. PBEpC form polarized monolayers on Transwell membrane inserts as controlled by immunostainings of epithelial marker proteins. NiV infection causes rapid formation of syncytia, allowing productive NiV infections in living PBEpC cultures to be monitored by phase-contrast microscopy.

Self-care for health and wellbeing – a literature review

Introduction: Self-care concept is not a new idea, but during the scientific era that strengthened the authority of health care providers, the use of self-care became less valued. Self-care has major benefits for individuals and health care systems. Many factors influence self-care and several tools have been developed to measure an individual’s ability to self-care. Health workers play an important role helping people understand and use self-care practices. Aim: To provide an overview on self-care approach to better understand different aspects of self-care as important intervention for improving health and well-being. Methodology: A series of recently published articles in PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science as well as WHO guidelines related to self-care were identified and used for this review. A database of selected articles was created, and a reference list compiled. Results: The effectiveness of self-care interventions has been found in several published articles. In patients with various diseases, higher levels of self-care are associated with better health outcomes, including reduced hospitalizations, costs, and mortality. Various studies report that self-care is influenced by several factors such as: age, education, socio-economic and health education level, geographic environment, and family support. WHO has developed competency standards for health workers to support people’s ability to self-care. Conclusions: Humanitarian crises-armed conflict, natural disasters, major disease outbreaks have a significant impact on global health and require innovative strategies that go beyond the health sector. There is growing evidence of the effectiveness of selfcare interventions for improving health and well-being. Health workers have a key role in implementing and promoting self-care interventions. Keywords: self-care, health, wellbeing, quality of life, self-care measurement.

A Numerical Confirmation of a Fractional-Order COVID-19 Model’s Efficiency

In the past few years, the world has suffered from an untreated infectious epidemic disease (COVID-19), caused by the so-called coronavirus, which was regarded as one of the most dangerous and viral infections. From this point of view, the major objective of this intended paper is to propose a new mathematical model for the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) outbreak by operating the Caputo fractional-order derivative operator instead of the traditional operator. The behavior of the positive solution of COVID-19 with the initial condition will be investigated, and some new studies on the spread of infection from one individual to another will be discussed as well. This would surely deduce some important conclusions in preventing major outbreaks of such disease. The dynamics of the fractional-order COVID-19 mathematical model will be shown graphically using the fractional Euler Method. The results will be compared with some other concluded results obtained by exploring the conventional model and then shedding light on understanding its trends. The symmetrical aspects of the proposed dynamical model are analyzed, such as the disease-free equilibrium point and the endemic equilibrium point coupled with their stabilities. Through performing some numerical comparisons, it will be proved that the results generated from using the fractional-order model are significantly closer to some real data than those of the integer-order model. This would undoubtedly clarify the role of fractional calculus in facing epidemiological hazards.

Diversity and Disturbance: How Mussels and Sea Stars Strengthen the Rocky Intertidal Community

In the rocky intertidal zone, tides and rocks set the stage. Together they create habitat for a diverse community of species adapted to a world both underwater (high tide) and exposed to air (low tide). In some protected areas, like national parks, we study rocky intertidal ecosystems as vital signs of nature’s health. Studying them helps us understand the impact of disturbances, which play an important role in shaping these communities. Some disturbances, like the tides, happen daily. Others, like diseases, might happen once every decade. This article is about how tides and diseases affect two important members of rocky intertidal communities—mussels and sea stars. We explain the roles these organisms play and what happened when ochre sea stars, an important species in these habitats, suffered a major disease outbreak. Last, we emphasize the importance of protecting these vital ecosystems so we can continue to learn about the health of the natural environment.

Transient Expression of Flavivirus Structural Proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Flaviviruses are a threat to public health and can cause major disease outbreaks. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is caused by a flavivirus, and it is one of the most important causes of viral encephalitis in Europe and is on the rise in Sweden. As there is no antiviral treatment available, vaccination remains the best protective measure against TBE. Currently available TBE vaccines are based on formalin-inactivated virus produced in cell culture. These vaccines must be delivered by intramuscular injection, have a burdensome immunization schedule, and may exhibit vaccine failure in certain populations. This project aimed to develop an edible TBE vaccine to trigger a stronger immune response through oral delivery of viral antigens to mucosal surfaces. We demonstrated successful expression and post-translational processing of flavivirus structural proteins which then self-assembled to form virus-like particles in Nicotiana benthamiana. We performed oral toxicity tests in mice using various plant species as potential bioreactors and evaluated the immunogenicity of the resulting edible vaccine candidate. Mice immunized with the edible vaccine candidate did not survive challenge with TBE virus. Interestingly, immunization of female mice with a commercial TBE vaccine can protect their offspring against TBE virus infection.

Prevention Strategy for Covid-19 by Healthy Mobility

Covid-19 become the third major respiratory disease outbreak related to the coronavirus. Globally, there were 177.108.695 confirmed cases with 3.840.223 deaths (CFR 2.1%). The number of positive cases Covid-19 continue to grow and needs the right action to stop the spread of the virus. The purpose of this study was to determine the Covid-19 prevention strategy by healthy mobility. This study used an analytic reseach with a cross sectional design. The population of this study was all people aged >18 years in Medan City with a sample of 395 respondents was obtained. The instrument of this research was google form. The instrument of this research was google form. There were 93.7% of people whose not good at avoiding crowded places whereas 51.9% of people with high mobility. The results of Simple Linear Regression Test showed that there was a moderate relationship between mobility and positive cases of Covid-19 (r = 0.300) with a negative pattern. This means that if people’s mobility is reduced, the cases exposed to Covid-19 will be decreased. The result of this study indicates the prevention strategy by Healthy Mobility is a promising strategy and useful for stalling the spread of Covid-19.

Evolution and consequences of individual responses during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In a long-lasting major disease outbreak such as that of COVID-19, the challenge for public health authorities is to keep people motivated and keen on following safety guidelines. In this study, a compartmental model with a heterogeneous transmission rate (based on awareness) is utilized to hypothesize about the public adoption of preventive guidelines. Three subsequent outbreaks in South Korea, Pakistan, and Japan were analyzed as case studies. The transmission, behavior change, and behavioral change ease rates of the disease were measured in these countries. The parameters were estimated using the maximum likelihood method with an additional identifiability analysis performed to determine the uniqueness of the estimated parameters for quantitatively comparing them during the first three waves of COVID-19. The mathematical analysis and simulation results show that individual responses had a significant effect on the outbreak. Individuals declining to follow the public health guidelines in Korea and Japan between the second and third waves contributed to making the third peak the highest of the three peaks. In Pakistan, however, individual responses to following public health guidelines were maintained between the second and third waves, resulting in the third peak being lower than the first, rather than being associated with the highest transmission rate. Thus, maintaining a high level of awareness is critical for containing the spread. Improvised public health campaigns are recommended to sustain individual attention and maintain a high level of awareness.

Identification of molecular determinants of antibiotic resistance in some fish farms of Ghana

Antimicrobial resistance is a global health challenge caused by the ability of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, protozoans and viruses to survive the effects of drugs that hitherto were effective against them. This study sought to investigate the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their corresponding molecular determinants in fish farms of the Central and Western Regions of Ghana. Management practices and antibiotic use at the fish farms were obtained through the administration of a questionnaire. Coliform and Gram-positive bacterial loads of catfish (Clarias gariepinus), tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) intestinal microbiota, and pond water samples recovered on MacConkey Agar and Mannitol Salt Agar were determined. Bacterial isolates were identified using various biochemical assays. Antibiotic resistance profiles and possible responsible genes of bacterial isolates were determined using the disc diffusion and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) methods respectively. The study revealed that none of the fish farm managers admitted using antibiotics for prevention and treatment of diseases and no major disease outbreak had ever been recorded. Bacterial loads of pond water exceeded the acceptable level of ≤100 E. coli and <10 coliforms per mL for wastewater recommended for use in fish farming. In all, 145 bacterial isolates comprising 99 Gram negative and 46 Gram-positive bacteria were stored and identified. Most isolates were resistant to at least an antibiotic. Both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria were highly resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics with a corresponding high percentage detection of the blaTEM gene compared to other classes of antibiotics. This study has revealed the presence of various molecular determinants of antibiotic resistance including blaTEM, cmIA, qnrS, tetB and blaCTX-M, in multidrug-resistant bacteria at some fish farms in Ghana. There is the need to increase awareness about risks associated with the misuse and overuse of antibiotics by humans and the potential risk of spread of multi-drug resistant-bacteria in the environment.

Structural and functional analysis of a potent human neutralizing antibody against enterovirus A71.

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) causes major outbreaks of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in many countries, most frequently affecting children, and a small proportion of cases may lead to death. Currently, no vaccine is available in most endemic regions, and no licenced treatments for EV-A71 infection are available. Here, we characterize a human monoclonal antibody (HuMAb), E1, by screening a Fab antibody phage library derived from patients who recovered from EV-A71 infection. E1 exhibits strong neutralizing activity against EV-A71 virus in cells. The cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the EV-A71 virion in complex with E1 Fab fragments demonstrated that E1 recognized an epitope formed by residues in the BC and HI loops of VP1. In a mouse model, E1 effectively protected against lethal EV-A71 challenge in both prophylactic and therapeutic treatment. In particular, E1 significantly reduces virus titers and muscle damage. E1 might represent a potential adjunct to EV-A71 treatment.Supporting InformationThe supporting information is available online at 10.1007/s11427-021-2095-0. The supporting materials are published as submitted, without typesetting or editing. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and content remains entirely with the authors.

Contact Tracing: Barriers and Facilitators.

Contact tracing-the process of identifying, isolating, and managing infected persons and their contacts-is a recognized public health measure for controlling the transmission of infectious diseases. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing has received intense attention. We provide a brief overview of the history of contact tracing during several major disease outbreaks in the past century: syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections, HIV infection, tuberculosis, Ebola virus disease, and COVID-19. Our discussion on the barriers to and facilitators of contact tracing offers a perspective on societal and institutional roles and dynamics, stigma as a major barrier to effective tracing efforts, and how the nature and epidemiology of the infection itself can affect its success. We explore the evolution and adaptation of contact tracing and provide insights for future programming and research. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(7):1025-1033. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306842).

Could Emergency Diseases Surveillance Systems Be Transitioned to Routine Surveillance Systems? A Proposed Transition Strategy for Early Warning, Alert, and Response Network.

In humanitarian emergencies, traditional disease surveillance systems either do not exist to begin with or come under stress due to a huge influx of internal or external migrants. However, cramped camps with an unreliable supply of safe water and weak sanitation systems are the ideal setting for major disease outbreaks of all kinds. The Early Warning, Alert and Response Network (EWARN) has been supported by the WHO since the late 1990s to ensure health system capacity to identify and control risks early before they become major epidemics. These systems have been proven to be an excellent asset in reducing morbidity and mortality in humanitarian crises around the world. However, there is also a global challenge of transitioning them back to a regular or national monitoring system in their respective countries. This article is the result of in-country consultations arranged by the Eastern Mediterranean office of the World Health Organization. In these consultations, the unique local conditions and limitations of different countries were discussed to identify a way forward for transitioning these emergency disease surveillance systems into regular systems. After these discussions, different options were presented which could be further modified according to local needs. As there has not been any documented evidence of a successful transition of any emergency surveillance system, it is difficult to discuss or determine the gold standard for transition. As with any public health program being practiced in the field, local decision-making with some broad guidelines will be the best approach available. This article provides these guidelines and practical steps which could be further modified according to country needs.

Impact of major disease outbreaks in the third millennium on adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health and rights in low and/or middle-income countries: a systematic scoping review protocol

IntroductionSexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) of young people continue to present a high burden and remain underinvested. This is more so in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), where...

New insights into the measurement model of a new scale for evaluating restaurant service quality during major infectious disease outbreaks

PurposeConsumers prefer to choose restaurants that value hygiene and safety; therefore, appropriate epidemic prevention measures could restore 30% of lost customers and enhance a restaurant’s reputation during infectious disease outbreaks. Providing customers with safe epidemic prevention service quality is an important mission of the restaurant industry during an epidemic. This study aims to construct an epidemic prevention service quality scale for restaurants (REP-SERV scale).Design/methodology/approachThe REP-SERV scale was constructed through internet big data analytics and qualitative and quantitative research procedures.FindingsA total of 16 key service factors for restaurant epidemic prevention were extracted through internet big data analytics. The REP-SERV scale contained 28 items in six dimensions, including hygiene, empathy, flexible service, support service, personnel management and body temperature and seating arrangement.Practical implicationsThe REP-SERV scale can help many restaurant operators clearly determine the deficiencies and risks of restaurant epidemic prevention services.Originality/valueThe findings can provide references to effectively measure and improve the epidemic prevention service quality in restaurants, thereby providing customers with a comfortable and safe dining environment.

Clear and Present Dangers: The Multiple Health Hazards of Volcanic Eruptions.

Clear and Present Dangers: The Multiple Health Hazards of Volcanic Eruptions.

Nursing ethics for prevention and control of major infectious disease outbreaks: Chinese expert consensus

BackgroundMajor infectious disease has become a serious threat to people’s health worldwide. As the world’s largest healthcare workforce and the core forces fighting against the epidemic, nurses are on the frontline of this battle. A number of ethical issues have given rise to numerous concerns that have largely affected nurses in different ways as they respond to the epidemic. In addition, excessive expectations from people can exert undue pressure, which can easily lead to burnout in nurses. MethodsIn this consensus, the expert panel method was used to develop and reach a consensus. The members involved in the formation of the consensus included an expert discussion panel and a consensus writing expert group, a methodologist, and four secretaries. After 16 rounds of online expert consultation and two rounds of expert panel meetings, the writing team analyzed and reviewed the 78 amendments suggested by the experts to develop a consensus on nursing ethics for prevention and control of major infectious disease outbreaks based on the ethical vision of life care. ResultsThis expert consensus focuses on five essential domains: the responsibilities and rights of nurses, the nurse-patient relationship, the doctor-nurse relationship, and the relationship between society and nurses throughout the epidemic. ConclusionsWe hope this consensus can help nurses better understand and respond to the ethical issues and challenges in public health emergencies, and raise reasonable public expectations of the roles and responsibilities of nurses in these situations.