Re-emerging Disease Research Articles

Reemergence of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in Germany During the Spring and Summer of 2021.

BackgroundThe incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) decreased worldwide in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, concurrent with nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) intended to stymie transmission of SARS-CoV-2. In 2021, the stringency of these NPI strategies has varied. We investigated age- and serotype-specific variations in IPD case counts in Germany in 2020–2021.MethodsIPD cases through 30 November 2021 were stratified by age group, serotype, or geographic location. IPD surveillance data in 2020–2021 were compared with (1) IPD surveillance data from 2015–2019, (2) mobility data during 2020 and 2021, and (3) NPI stringency data in 2020 and 2021.ResultsIPD incidence began to return toward baseline among children 0–4 years old in April 2021 and exceeded baseline by June 2021 (a 9% increase over the average monthly values for 2015–2019). Children aged 5–14 years and adults aged 15–34 or ≥80 years showed increases in IPD cases that exceeded baseline values starting in July 2021, with increases also starting in spring 2021. The age distribution and proportion of vaccine-serotype IPD remained comparable to those in previous years, despite lower overall case counts in 2020 and 2021. The percentage change in IPD incidence compared with the previous 5 years was correlated with changes in mobility and with NPI stringency.ConclusionsIPD levels began to return to and exceed seasonal levels in spring and summer 2021 in Germany, following sharp declines in 2020 that coincided with NPIs related to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Proportions of vaccine serotypes remained largely consistent throughout 2020–2021.

Insights on Transmission, Spread, and Possible Endemization of Selected Arboviruses in Israel-Interim Results from Five-Year Surveillance.

Outbreaks of arthropod-borne (arbo) viruses that infect livestock impact the health and welfare of domestic and wild animals are often responsible for significant economic losses in livestock production. Surveillance and early warning systems effectively predict the emergence and re-emergence of arboviral disease. This paper presents the interim results of five years monitoring the exposure of sentinel naïve heifers and Culicoides biting midges (Diptera; Ceratopogonidae) to bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV), Simbu serogroup viruses, bluetongue viruses (BTV), and epizootic hemorrhagic disease viruses (EHDV). The data were collected from 11 dairy farms situated within eight different geographical regions in Israel. The results indicate that cattle in Israel are affected by all four viruses from the early summer onward. The investigated viruses exhibit unique site-specific profiles in both ruminants and vectors. The potential of several vectors to transmit these viruses and lack of cross-protection to re-infection with multiple serotypes (BTV and EHDV) or species (Simbu serogroup viruses) highlights some likely mechanisms that may play a role in these viruses’ maintenance cycle and possible endemization in our region.

Measles, a re-emerging disease in Albania: Epidemiology and clinical presentations

Measles, a re-emerging disease in Albania: Epidemiology and clinical presentations

On the Use of Uncertainty in Classifying Aedes Albopictus Mosquitoes

The re-emergence of mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs), which kill hundreds of thousands of people each year, has been attributed to increased human population, migration, and environmental changes. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been used by several studies to recognise mosquitoes in images provided by projects such as Mosquito Alert to assist entomologists in identifying, monitoring, and managing MBD. Nonetheless, utilising CNNs to automatically label input samples could involve incorrect predictions, which may mislead future epidemiological studies. Furthermore, CNNs require large numbers of manually annotated data. In order to address the mentioned issues, this paper proposes using the Monte Carlo Dropout method to estimate the uncertainty scores in order to rank the classified samples to reduce the need for human supervision in recognising Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The estimated uncertainty was also used in an active learning framework, where just a portion of the data from large training sets was manually labelled. The experimental results show that the proposed classification method with rejection outperforms the competing methods by improving overall performance and reducing entomologist annotation workload. We also provide explainable visualisations of the different regions that contribute to a set of samples' uncertainty assessment.

Prevalence of Common Infectious Diseases After COVID-19 Vaccination and Easing of Pandemic Restrictions in Israel

Social restrictions intended to limit the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 may have also been associated with decreased rates of other communicable diseases. Evidence suggests that infection incidence rates (IRs) are rebounding after easing of social restrictions (eg, mask mandates). The reemergence of infectious disease complicates efforts to manage the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To examine IRs of frequently occurring infectious diseases after a successful SARS-CoV-2 vaccination campaign in Israel and cessation of social restrictions. This cross-sectional study was conducted using records for respiratory and gastrointestinal infectious diseases at 209 community clinics in southern Israel from 2017 to 2021. Included patients attended community clinics from January 1, 2017, to June 30, 2021. Incidence of infectious diseases was estimated in the first 3 months after the easing of social restrictions (ie, April-June 2021) across age groups. Age-specific and disease-specific weekly IRs per 100 000 population for April to June were compared between 2017 and 2021 and expected current IR was estimated using segmented linear regression. Growth rates of respiratory infections across years and weekly diagnoses detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction testing were also compared. Among 386 711 patients with a total of 1 221 568 visits to community clinics, the mean (SD) age was 27.29 (23.93) years, and there were 202 494 (52.3%) male patients and 184 217 (47.7%) female patients. Children aged 0 to 3 years had significantly increased rates of respiratory and gastrointestinal infection diagnoses (IR ratio, 2.64; 95% CI, 2:30-2.91; P < .001). In addition, incidence of non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infections were significantly increased across age groups (IR ratio, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.56-1.94; P < .001). These morbidity trends observed in Israel suggest that similar trends could occur in coming months in other countries after easing of COVID-19-related restrictions, particularly with the ongoing challenges of SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Clinical Experience of Scrubs Typhus Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Eastern India

Background- Scrubs typhus, an acute febrile illness caused by the bacteria Orienta tsutsugamushi which is a Rickettsia tsutsugamushi infection worldwide. During the 2nd world war, scrub typhus caused is the most common re-emerging Rickettsia tsutsugamushi infection, resulting in morbidity &amp; mortality in the border region and other southeastern East Asia. Methods-This retrospective study was conducted from 2015 to 2020 at AMRI Hospitals Bhubaneswar. A total number of 122 patient data was studied for this survey. Significant clinical findings such as fever. Jaundice, GIT symptoms were studied also including basic test parameters like renal profile, liver function test, respiratory, cardiac vascular, central nervous system dysfunction. The clinical data obtained were entered in Microsoft Excel-2019 later converted into a statistical package for social science (SPSS) 11.5 version for statistical analysis. Results- Symptoms such as a high-grade fever, chills, shortness of breath, heart and vascular involvement, renal involvement, and jaundice are not the same as tropical fever. For an average day of fever, it was found that it lasted an average of 8 days. Two or more than two number of organ failures were shown to be the most common cause of death for patients. The duration of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) is seven days, whereas the duration of stay on the general ward is eleven days. Acute renal damage (36%) and jaundice (38%) were also seen in 76 and 38 percent of patients, respectively. Acute respiratory distress syndrome, necessitating a non-invasive ventilator seen in 42% of patients hospitalized, whereas acute renal damage, requiring hemodialysis, accounted for 12% of patients admitted. Meningitis or meningoencephalitis is the most predominant manifestation of central nervous system. While heart failure, myocardial infarction, and ECG abnormalities were also found to be involved. Conclusion- Scrub typhus is now among the most common causes of acute fibril illness in India. Scrub typhus is a re-emerging disease in India after decades. Early diagnosis and management is significant because there is a phenomenal reaction to treat with antibiotics which shall help in reducing mortality and disease complication from this infectious disease. Keywords: Scrub Typhus, Orientia tsutsugamushi, Multiorgan dysfunctions, Early diagnosis.

An environmental scan of one health preparedness and response: the case of the Covid-19 pandemic in Rwanda

BackgroundOver the past decade, 70% of new and re-emerging infectious disease outbreaks in East Africa have originated from the Congo Basin where Rwanda is located. To respond to these increasing risks of disastrous outbreaks, the government began integrating One Health (OH) into its infectious disease response systems in 2011 to strengthen its preparedness and contain outbreaks. The strong performance of Rwanda in responding to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic makes it an excellent example to understand how the structure and principles of OH were applied during this unprecedented situation.MethodsA rapid environmental scan of published and grey literature was conducted between August and December 2020, to assess Rwanda’s OH structure and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 132 documents including official government documents, published research, newspaper articles, and policies were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsRwanda’s OH structure consists of multidisciplinary teams from sectors responsible for human, animal, and environmental health. The country has developed OH strategic plans and policies outlining its response to zoonotic infections, integrated OH into university curricula to develop a OH workforce, developed multidisciplinary rapid response teams, and created decentralized laboratories in the animal and human health sectors to strengthen surveillance. To address COVID-19, the country created a preparedness and response plan before its onset, and a multisectoral joint task force was set up to coordinate the response to the pandemic. By leveraging its OH structure, Rwanda was able to rapidly implement a OH-informed response to COVID-19.ConclusionRwanda’s integration of OH into its response systems to infectious diseases and to COVID-19 demonstrates the importance of applying OH principles into the governance of infectious diseases at all levels. Rwanda exemplifies how preparedness and response to outbreaks and pandemics can be strengthened through multisectoral collaboration mechanisms. We do expect limitations in our findings due to the rapid nature of our environmental scan meant to inform the COVID-19 policy response and would encourage a full situational analysis of OH in Rwanda’s Coronavirus response.

Naturalists, Catastrophic Pandemics, and the End of Rome in the Age of Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases

Naturalists, Catastrophic Pandemics, and the End of Rome in the Age of Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases

Resurgence of intestinal ascariasis among adults: radiological diagnosis and clinical implications.

To report the radiological features of intestinal ascariasis and to review the clinical implications of this re-emerging disease for adult population of the USA. This retrospective observational study involved 12 adult patients, whose radiological examinations disclosed unsuspected presence of ascaris in their intestinal tract. They were evaluated by computed tomography of the abdomen with oral contrast, small bowel series with barium, and magnetic resonance enterography. This series included 7 men and 5 women, who ranged in age from 19 to 72years (mean age 48years). The typical configuration of ascaris within the bowel loops was demonstrated on CT of the abdomen in 5 patients, small bowel examination with barium in 3, and by MR enterography in another 4 cases. Our study highlights the radiological appearances of intestinal ascariasis and the clinical implications of this resurging disease. The practicing radiologists should be aware of these findings, particularly when examining patients who have immigrated from or traveled to the endemic regions.

Perspectives in the Emergence and Re-Emergence of Infectious Diseases, Geopolitics and Gain-of-Function Research

This paper attempts to present the dissemination and transmission dynamics of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases and the underlying features of gain-of-function research and geopolitics in the ambient within and across borders. Research and publication are relevant from perspectives in the management of local and global health because disease is perspicuously a geopolitical issue ostensibly linked to gain-of-function research where health diplomacy undergirds present and future global functionalities regarding the emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases. These have generated vehement reactions with propensity for extreme geopolitics and gain-of-function natural and anthropogenic activities. Geopolitical parameters and gain-of-function issues impact on the social determinants of health and vice versa. The convening and convergence of countries for unprecented epidemic or pandemic treaty settings or other formulations to confront emerging and reemerging infectious diseases will afford considerable opportunities concerning challenges in action, preparedness and response. Provisions are pertinent for legal instruments, effective and efficient systems to curb future threats and outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Serological Evidence of Rickettsial Infection by Weil-Felix Test in Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangladesh

Introduction: Rickettsial infections are re-emerging diseases and are major causes of febrile illnesses throughout the Asia-Pacific region. It is difficult to diagnose due to the non-specific clinical manifestations, absence of reliable and affordable diagnostic tests thereby contributes to increasing the acute febrile burden and preventive illness in many populations. Undiagnosed or late-diagnosed cases are associated with high morbidity and mortality.&#x0D; Objectives: The study aimed to determine rickettsial disease by Weil-Felix test and to know the frequency of rickettsial diseases in febrile patients presenting to tertiary care hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh.&#x0D; Methods: In this study, a total of 135 peripheral blood samples were taken and tested by Weil Felix test from clinically suspected patients of rickettsial fever.&#x0D; Results: Weil- Felix test was positive in 33((24.4%) cases. Of Weil- Felix test-positive cases, OX-2 was positive in 87.87% cases, followed by OX-K (6.06%), OX-19 (3.03%), and both OX-2 &amp; OX-K (3.03%) cases. OX-2 positive cases are suggestive of spotted fever group, OX-K of scrub typhus group, OX-19 of typhus group, and OX-2 &amp; OX-K are suggestive of both spotted fever group and scrub typhus group. This finding suggests that most cases were infected with spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR).&#x0D; Conclusion: Analyzing the present study's findings, it may be concluded that rickettsial infection is not uncommon in Bangladesh. Weil-Felix test can be used in laboratories to diagnose rickettsial diseases where specific reliable serological or molecular test is not available.

COVID-19 in the International Year of Plant Health

&lt;p&gt;Pests, in their broad sense, have played an important part in the history of humankind. We could say that humans, crops and pests have walked together through life. Codices, glyphs, paintings and countless ancient documents, including the Bible and the Koran, bear witness to this. Humanity has been attacked by its own diseases, but also by those that limit them from obtaining food and deteriorate the environment. COVID-19, which is now troubling us and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March of 2020, became a part of the list of experiences we have suffered in the past, with pests or epidemics that caused millions of deaths by diseases or famines. It is paradoxical that this health contingency occurs when the United Nations General Assembly, on December 20th, 2018, in its resolution A/RES/73/252 decides to declare 2020 the International Year of Plant Health in order to “highlight the importance of plant health to improve food security, protect the environment and biodiversity and boost economic development” according to the pronouncement by the FAO. For the first time, in an era with great technological and scientific breakthroughs, humanity was aware of its vulnerability against the inevitable evolution of life forms in the face of dilemmas global impact caused by human beings. Thus, the pest or parasite makes its own declaration of existential preeminence through SARS-CoV-2 to remind us that the health of humans or plants is the essence of life and its continuity. But perhaps absolute health is not enough. It is necessary to find a balance in a world overwhelmed by giving so much in return for almost nothing to everyone living on it. If the sensor of our anthropocentric intervention of the world is climate change, then biological chaos is a masterpiece. The reemergence of pests and diseases considered eradicated, or those of zoonotic origin that had never accompanied our existence is a surreal dystopia that we will never be able to deny again.&lt;/p&gt;

"Features in the Emergence and Reemergence of Infectious Diseases, Gain-of-Function Research and Geopolitics"

Chrysanthus Chukwuma* Author Affiliations The Chrysanthus Centre for Future-Oriented Studies, Centre for Future-Oriented Studies, CTR Future-Oriented Ltd, Nigeria Received: December 12, 2021 | Published: January 04, 2022 Corresponding author: Chrysanthus Chukwuma Sr, The Chrysanthus Centre for Future-Oriented Studies, Centre for Future, Oriented Studies, CTR Future-Oriented Ltd, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2022.40.006500

Features of the Emergence and Re-Emergence of Infectious Diseases, Geopolitics and Gain-of-Function Research

This paper attempts to present the dissemination and transmission dynamics of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases and the underlying features of gain-of-function research and geopolitics in the ambient within and across borders. Research and publication are relevant from perspectives in the management of local and global health because disease is perspicuously a geopolitical issue ostensibly linked to gain-of-function research where health diplomacy undergirds present and future global functionalities regarding the emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases. These have generated vehement reactions with propensity for extreme geopolitics and gain-of-function natural and anthropogenic activities. Geopolitical parameters and gain-of-function issues impact on the social determinants of health and vice versa. The convening and convergence of countries for unprecented epidemic or pandemic treaty settings or other formulations to confront emerging and reemerging infectious diseases will afford considerable opportunities concerning challenges in action, preparedness and response. Provisions are pertinent for legal instruments, effective and efficient systems to curb future threats and outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Awareness about tuberculosis in a rural area of Mandya district: A cross-sectional study in southern Karnataka

Background:Tuberculosis (TB) is a re-emerging disease in India. Creating awareness among the community still plays a vital role in preventing and controlling the spread of TB.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was carried out for a period of 4 months in a rural area in Mandya, southern Karnataka. Sample size was estimated and those who fulfill the inclusion criteria were included with prior consent. Data were collected through interview method using structured questionnaire and analyzed using Epi info software.Results:Among the 774 participants, majority (61.8%) of the study participants belonged to the age group of 30–59 years; 32.7% of the subjects had studied up to secondary level of education. More than three-fourth of the subjects (76.1%) had heard about TB disease. More than 50% of the subjects mentioned “coughing” by a diseased person as the main reason for spread. Forty percent of the subjects, opined as recovery, will be complete after treatment. More than 60% of the subjects knew that TB diagnosis and treatment is free in any government health center.Conclusion:Our study found that knowledge regarding TB and its control in many of the aspects is either insufficient or not satisfactory in the community.

Synthesis and Anti-Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) Activity of Novel 1,4-Naphthoquinone Sulfonamide and Sulfonate Ester Derivatives

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging disease caused by an alphavirus of the Togaviridae family. Since its first description in 1952, the disease has spread worldwide, affecting populations in both tropical and temperate countries. To date, there is no licensed vaccine or specific pharmacological treatment. Therefore, there is an increasing urgency in developing new antiviral drugs capable of specifically inhibiting viral replication. In the present work, we report the synthesis and antiviral activity evaluation of nineteen naphthoquinone derivatives, containing a sulfonamide or sulfonate group. Cell viability assays indicated a low toxic potential for all tested compounds and inhibitory assays against CHIKV identified five compounds with potent activity. The compounds were also evaluated for their virucidal potential, and the results demonstrated that compound 11a exhibited a virucidal effect higher than 70% in the treatment with 20 µM. Furthermore, in silico studies were performed to predict the antiviral drug targets.

Developing framework for epidemiological surveillance in India: Present scenario and the road map Ahead

Epidemiological surveillance is a major function of public health. Multiple disease outbreaks have prompted India to proactively respond with prevention and control measures. These actions are based on information from public health surveillance. However, many current systems rely on disease-specific approaches that inhibit efficiency and interoperability. The secondary data were used from the government official websites, MoHFW, IDSP portal. There is an existing integrated disease surveillance project with Central, state, and district surveillance units to detect early warning systems with a focus on some diseases of public health importance in the country. With the increase in economic and political power, the country may play a wider role at the International level. Thus, this review aimed at exploring the current surveillance system of the country with a developing framework for the future and its implications. There is a need for an integrated approach to digital health evidence and prediction. Political will and effective governance, with appropriate health financing and service delivery being pillars of universal health coverage are of utmost importance to be adopted in public health surveillance. There should be the creation of Rapid response teams at various health echelons These teams should be trained centrally with a role in investigating early warning systems and impending outbreaks. These teams should be empowered with materials and infrastructure for effective surveillance mechanisms. The one health approach concept is particularly important in the times of the pandemic and the emergence of emerging and Re-emerging diseases with the threat of potential biological warfare across the globe.

MRI Signal Abnormalities of the Optic Tracts, a Marker of Meningoencephalitis Caused by &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Trypanosoma Gambiense&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; (TG)—A Delayed Patho-Radlological Correlation

Parasitic meningoencephalitis presents several etiologies which sometimes depend on their geographical location. They require thorough blood and cerebrospinal fluid check-up for directing an efficient treatment. Clinicians and radiologists are constantly looking for specific signs that could point to a particular etiology. The meningoencephalitis caused by Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) due to Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (TG) is a rare disease characterized by a slow progression, over years sometimes. Its non-specific presentation either clinically or in imaging can lead to misdiagnosis and thus, delay the treatment. However, involvement of the optic tracts seems to be characteristic of this condition, on old data from animal experimentation and recent high-field MRI data. MRI is the best current technique to explore the brain, cranial nerves, and visual pathways. In this article, we are going to present two observations of meningoencephalitis caused by HAT and then discuss some specific aspects of this neglected and re-emerging disease.

Stochastic modeling of the Monkeypox 2022 epidemic with cross-infection hypothesis in a highly disturbed environment.

Monkeypox 2022, a new re-emerging disease, is caused by the Monkeypox virus. Structurally, this virus is related to the smallpox virus and infects the host in a similar way; however, the symptoms of Monkeypox are more severe. In this research work, a mathematical model for understanding the dynamics of Monkeypox 2022 is suggested that takes into account two modes of transmission: horizontal human dissemination and cross-infection between animals and humans. Due to lack of substantial knowledge about the virus diffusion and the effect of external perturbations, the model is extended to the probabilistic formulation with Lévy jumps. The proposed model is a two block compartmental system that requires the form of Itô-Lévy stochastic differential equations. Based on some assumptions and nonstandard analytical techniques, two principal asymptotic properties are proved: the eradication and continuation in the mean of Monkeypox 2022. The outcomes of the study reveals that the dynamical behavior of the proposed Monkeypox 2022 system is chiefly governed by some parameters that are precisely correlated with the noise intensities. To support the obtained theoretical finding, examples based on numerical simulations and real data are presented at the end of the study. The numerical simulations also exhibit the impact of the innovative adopted mathematical techniques on the findings of this work.

Acute neurologic emerging flaviviruses.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the challenges we face as a global society in preventing and containing emerging and re-emerging pathogens. Multiple intersecting factors, including environmental changes, host immunological factors, and pathogen dynamics, are intimately connected to the emergence and re-emergence of communicable diseases. There is a large and expanding list of communicable diseases that can cause neurological damage, either through direct or indirect routes. Novel pathogens of neurotropic potential have been identified through advanced diagnostic techniques, including metagenomic next-generation sequencing, but there are also known pathogens which have expanded their geographic distribution to infect non-immune individuals. Factors including population growth, climate change, the increase in animal and human interface, and an increase in international travel and trade are contributing to the expansion of emerging and re-emerging pathogens. Challenges exist around antimicrobial misuse giving rise to antimicrobial-resistant infectious neurotropic organisms and increased susceptibility to infection related to the expanded use of immunomodulatory treatments. In this article, we will review key concepts around emerging and re-emerging pathogens and discuss factors associated with neurotropism and neuroinvasion. We highlight several neurotropic pathogens of interest, including West Nile virus (WNV), Zika Virus, Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV), and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus (TBEV). We emphasize neuroinfectious diseases which impact the central nervous system (CNS) and focus on flaviviruses, a group of vector-borne pathogens that have expanded globally in recent years and have proven capable of widespread outbreak.